Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 What do people really have after all their work and struggling in this life? Throughout their life, they have pain, frustrations, and hard work. Even at night, a person’s mind does not rest. This is also senseless. There is no one who has tried to enjoy life more than I have. Pain is inevitable. … Continue reading The Balance of Joy and Pain
John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. She is finally done with her perfectionist ways. She is exhausted from relentlessly working her plan. The plan that never meets her expectations. The plan that makes her insecure and fearful. The plan that… Continue reading When a perfectionist grows in God’s grace
Lisa looks out her kitchen window and frowns as she sees her five-year-old daughter, Katelynn, playing in the dirt on the side of the house. “Not again,” she mutters. “How many times do I have to tell her to stay out of that nasty pile of mud?” She finishes placing the last dish on the… Continue reading Beautiful Things
Dandelion. The flower that thrives in difficult conditions. A nuisance to your lawn. A catcher of breath and dreams. A symbol of the ability to rise above life’s challenges. I almost missed seeing this singular white puff ball on the side of the trail until my friend, Diane, insisted that I walk back to the… Continue reading The unexpected beauty of ordinary
As the sun arose above the Mountains the air loaded with the rich perfume of clover and wildflowers. And the heavy mountain dew looking like drops of silver on the rich leaves and blossoms. ----- I was looking around at the beautiful mountain scenery around me. Each side of the road being thickly lined with… Continue reading Nature Speaks
Have you ever heard a story about a painting thought to be created by an amateur artist, but after being authenticated, was instantly promoted from an ordinary painting to a rare and valuable piece of art? What was considered worthless, not fit to be hung on a wall, became a treasured piece of art, worthy… Continue reading Hidden Beauty
I saw a picture of a nurse today on Facebook. She looked traumatized from the day she spent in the ICU. My heart went out to her as much as the patient who died on her shift. She is at ground zero of this pandemic while I wait it out in my comfortable home. As… Continue reading When we reach the other side
Ecclesiastes 3:11 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. With the unprecedented chaos going on in the world today because of COVID-19, our global community is being faced with the reality of how susceptible we… Continue reading God has set eternity in the human heart
Psalms 112:6-9 Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. 7 They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9 They have freely scattered their… Continue reading They will have no fear of bad news
Jars of clay: Ordinary, common, easily broken, worn and cracked. Our mind and bodies are like these clay jars: susceptible to becoming fragile, broken and worn with use. But it is human nature to hide our weaknesses. We prefer to appear indestructible and exquisite rather than fragile and ordinary. We cover our clay jar… Continue reading Treasures in jars of clay
