Devotions
Come – Matthew 11:28, Isaiah 55:1, Revelation 22:17
I’ve grown a little tired of putting on my “big girl pants” lately. Have you? Are you tired of saying, I’ve got this, I’ll take care of that, I’ll figure it out? Has it all been too much? Too many difficult decisions? Too many unexpected hurdles? Too many heavy loads to carry? Just put one foot in front of the other, the world says to us. Do the next right thing and all will work [...]
Spiritual Hooky – Psalm 116:7
Out the window, white blossoms float down through the windswept branches of the tall crabapple trees. They cascade to the ground in wild flurries. Spinning and turning, they beckon me until all I can think of is getting outside. I want to lean my shoulders against those sturdy, sap-covered trunks. To smell the sweet aroma. To feel soft petals litter my long, dark hair. But the battle between should and want is fierce. There’s too [...]
For Mom – Isaiah 49:15, 66:13
Being ‘Mom’ without having a mom can make not just Mother’s Day but any day of motherhood a bit difficult. Every new and happy milestone my children face often comes tainted with a smidge of grief, envy, fear, and even resentment. Every new season comes with unanswered questions too. What did she do when I was this age? How did she manage this situation? How did she discipline that behavior? What advice did she follow? [...]
A Near Miss – Psalm 46:1, Romans 8:31
A near miss. That’s what it was. The eighteen-wheeler barreled on down the road, but I sat there shaking. With white knuckled grip on the steering wheel, I felt a flood of gratitude mingled with that torrent of fear. I pulled at my seatbelt to remind myself, yes, I was okay. I’d gotten out of the way in time. I’d dodged, swerved, braked just enough to miss the truck. But the driver hadn’t even seen [...]
Rain Dancin’ – Hebrews 12:2
“Can we, Mommy?” Three pairs of little eyes stared longingly up at me. They wanted to go rain dancin’. To jump in puddles. To shuffle their bare feet over the wet grass and have their toes and bottoms wriggle and slosh through the water that flowed along the curb’s edge down by the street. But I hesitated. All I could think of was the effort it would take to clean them all up. The extra [...]
Beautiful Sacrifice – Isaiah 53:2
Not long ago, I came across an incredible story—the story of Mary Ann Bevan, the “Ugliest Woman in the World.” She was actually a beautiful woman in her youth. She married and had four children. She was educated as a nurse and quite prosperous. Yet in her early thirties, she developed acromegaly, a disease that caused her face to become distorted and her body to grow abnormally. After a time, her husband died unexpectedly, leaving [...]
