It was 9pm and we were still waiting. My son had tried out for a spring sports team and notifications were promised by the end of the day. I sat alone in our living room with all the lights turned off. I checked my email one more time. Nothing. I never knew youth sports tryouts … Continue reading One Night, One Email, and One Big Lesson in Trust
How to Live a Peace-Filled Life by Avoiding Comparison
Theodore Roosevelt was mostly right when he said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Anytime we compare our lives and circumstances to those around us, we’re giving envy a foothold in our hearts and minds. Comparison prevents us from experiencing joy and prohibits us from living peace-filled lives. Over the past several weeks we’ve discussed … Continue reading How to Live a Peace-Filled Life by Avoiding Comparison
How to Protect Your Peace by Embracing Change
Humans are hardwired to resist change. Our brains interpret change as a threat causing a response of fear, flight, freeze, or fight. Whenever we face change our bodies jump into this threat response causing our stress and anxiety to increase, making a peace-filled life impossible. Over the past month we’ve discussed ways to cultivate peace … Continue reading How to Protect Your Peace by Embracing Change
How to Cultivate and Protect Your Peace
Protecting Your Peace Through Naming Your Priorities If you’ve been reading this blog over the last month, you have seen how Scripture teaches us to surrender our worry to Jesus and replace it with prayer and gratitude (catch up on the last two posts here and here). Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to replace our anxious … Continue reading How to Cultivate and Protect Your Peace
How to Trade Anxiety for Peace – Part Two
Nothing is more stressful than having an unexpected health scare with your child. Exactly three days after sharing with others how to replace anxiety with gratitude (read more about that here), God allowed a circumstance in my life to practice just that. It was 9 pm on Monday night. We had just finished eating a … Continue reading How to Trade Anxiety for Peace – Part Two
How to Trade Anxiety for Peace
Moving from a Life Full of Stress to a Heart Overflowing with Gratitude Fifteen years ago, I was diagnosed with a thyroid autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s. At the time I had no symptoms, and a simple, routine blood test led to my diagnosis. Doctors put me on traditional medication, and I went on with my … Continue reading How to Trade Anxiety for Peace
How to Find Joy in Every Situation
Summer in the Psalms – Week Six – Psalm 100 I have a love hate relationship with the start of the school year. I love the excitement of new beginnings, regularly seeing friends again, and the anticipation of all the adventures the year ahead holds. But simultaneously I dread the challenges of creating new routines … Continue reading How to Find Joy in Every Situation
Where to Find True Rest and Security
Summer in the Psalms – Week Five – Psalm 91:1-4 I was wide awake at three in the morning. My mind was tossing and turning, growing anxious about everything from the tasks that filled my lengthy to-do list to some recent unresolved health challenges. I tried deep breathing, getting a drink of water and even … Continue reading Where to Find True Rest and Security
Only God Satisfies – How to Find Joy in Your Everyday Circumstances
Summer in the Psalms Week Four: Psalm 63:1-8 I went on a mission trip with my youth group to the Dominican Republic when I was 16. We worked with a local church to host a vacation Bible school for the village children and rebuilt homes that had fallen into sever disrepair. By the end of … Continue reading Only God Satisfies – How to Find Joy in Your Everyday Circumstances
How to Navigate Uncertainty – Summer in the Psalms: Week Three Psalm 42
This past year brought about a lot of uncertainty in my once seemingly steady and stable life. Changes in work situations lead to the possibility of cross-country moves, school adjustments, church searches, and many other uncertainties. There were days in the thick of the unknown that felt dark, unsearchable, and riddled with anxiety. All the … Continue reading How to Navigate Uncertainty – Summer in the Psalms: Week Three Psalm 42