Where do you belong? Maybe you feel at home with your classmates, or maybe your family. Quite possibly, you don’t feel like you belong anywhere. Today I’m going to talk about “belonging” in the sense of spiritual family. We can belong to the world, to ourselves, or to Christ. Each of these can bring a …
You’re hiding again, curled up by the window, tears streaking down your face. With a frustrated sigh, you wipe at your cheeks, trying to stop crying. You’re breaking down again, as if this hasn’t already happened a half dozen times this week. Why are things like this? Why can’t you just hold it together? Beside …
“The hardest expression of love is forgiving a person who inflicted painfully deep wounds.” Dr. Guliuzza In this life, those we love will hurt us. Emotional pain takes many forms; abandonment, betrayal, opposition, rejection, misunderstanding, resentment, harsh words, neglect, and even abuse. Friends, parents, siblings, and family will mistreat us. No pain goes deeper than …
We’ve all received criticism in our lives, and it stings. Despite the sting, criticism can be helpful — an example would be a needed rebuke from a person with authority to give it, like a parent or teacher. Other times, a friend might gently bring up an issue in search of resolution. However, not all …
“You’re not good enough. No one could really ever love you, not even God. How could He love you, when you constantly fail Him? You shouldn’t even try anymore.” Dear rose, do thoughts of self-hatred bombard you? Do you wonder if God could really love you, with all your brokenness? Shame whispers and doubt sings …
I stood in front of the mirror, the skirt my mom bought me flaring over my knees making me smile–until it didn’t. The longer I stood in front of the mirror, the more aware of my “flaws” I became. My thighs didn’t have a big enough gap, my stomach wasn’t “pancake” flat, and very quickly, …
Nobody lives a perfect life. We will all have problems. We live in a fallen world where we’ll face trials, struggle with sin, and encounter many difficulties. Some problems, however, may seem “small” or “insignificant”. Compared to others, they seem unimportant or unworthy of God’s time. We think, “This problem is only small and will …
Have you ever been crippled by doubt? Has doubt stolen your sleep, your passion, and your joy, leaving you desperate? Doubt can tear apart our thoughts with uncertainty. It can make us question our best source of comfort. The result is that we separate ourselves from God and others, choosing to suffer alone. I too …
Sadness, hurt, shame, fear. Emotions like these characterize so much of our lives. We live in a broken world, where all around us, we see suffering and fear, people hurting and in pain. In a world like this, full of strife and tears, however, there also come times of peace and rest. Instead of struggling …
Though we cannot know the future, God does. When making our plans, it’s important to trust Him — but how? Right now, my plans for the future are up in the air. It’s frustrating, and sometimes even tear-wracking. I try outlining my life, but I can’t be sure it will work out that way. In …