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
anxiety
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
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
How to Hold Life with an Open Hand
After my sophomore year of college I spent a summer in Ocean City, New Jersey with about 100 other college students who were pursing God with all their hearts. Our days were full of studying the Word, sharing our faith, working summer jobs, and a good bit of shenanigans. Jon and me ice skating at … Continue reading How to Hold Life with an Open Hand
Where to find Joy and How to Keep it
Something you may or may not know about me; I’m a Christmas baby. My first visit to see Santa with my two older sisters. Bright and early on the coldest Christmas ever recorded in Pittsburgh history, my dad and his neighbor pushed the family car up our icy hill just to make it to the … Continue reading Where to find Joy and How to Keep it
What to Do When Life Seems Out of Control
I hate living in uncertainty. Unmade decisions make me uneasy. Therefore, I rarely encounter a problem that I think is unsolvable. However, sometimes life throws me a curve ball by way of a situation that is out of my control. In these moments I often allow the uncertainty of the situation to cloud my judgement … Continue reading What to Do When Life Seems Out of Control