Hope in Troubling Times

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Hope in Troubling Times

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life.

Psalm 138:7a (ESV)

The first daffodils are blooming here in the South with bright golden hues, and the first day of March ushered in 80-degree temperatures. Certainly, Spring is in the air, and I must say I’m welcoming it after two snow falls in January (a rarity). And just as the weather has already set records in this new year, this season in my heart revealed its own record of pain––my family has experienced another great loss.

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A Christmas Prayer for Grieving Hearts

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A Christmas Prayer for Grieving Hearts

Today is the day.


I sit here staring at the twinkling white lights on my Christmas tree as “Silent Night, Holy Night––All is calm, All is bright,” rings softly in my ears. But I’m struggling to stay calm and things don’t feel so bright. There’s a knot in my stomach and a choke in my throat as I walk through this day with a weight on my chest that I can't bear on my own. The beauty and the pain of the season intertwines together. And I wonder if this is what it truly means to hold joy in one hand while grief weighs heavy in the other.

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Finding Provision in Praise

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Finding Provision in Praise

“Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” (Psalm 47:6 NKJV)

Anxious thoughts and an unsteady heart propelled me to my quiet place on the porch. Sitting in the old, paint-peeled rocking chair, I slowly began rocking as I opened my Bible. I plead with God to give me the words to pray because I felt empty.

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Three Keys After a Chronic Illness Diagnosis

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Three Keys After a Chronic Illness Diagnosis

After receiving a chronic illness diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue Disorder, my world as I knew it shattered. Joy, excitement, and happiness were replaced by shock, fear, disillusionment, and despair.

Waking to a broken body, mind, and spirit at the young age of twenty-six-years-old left me reeling,
What will this mean for my present and my future? What will it cost personally and financially? The loss of independence and dreams seemed daunting.

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Beautifully Broken: The Chronic Illness Diagnosis

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Beautifully Broken: The Chronic Illness Diagnosis

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (John 12:24-25 KJV)

I stepped into the doctor’s office with trepidation. I had read enough online to be almost certain of the looming diagnosis. Honestly, I had avoided setting the appointment earlier in hopes that the symptoms would disappear, or miraculous healing would occur.

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Finding God’s Provision in Panic

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Finding God’s Provision in Panic

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.” (Exodus 13:21 ESV)

Slowing to a stop, I began surveying my surroundings. Cars blocked me on all sides. My breathing became shallow, my heart rate quickened, and my clammy hands clutched the steering wheel––with tunnel vision, my head swam. I was stuck!

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