Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. -John 15:4 (ESV) I’ve missed my porch this summer. It’s where I usually read, pray, write, and simply sit with Jesus. But this year’s heat has made those quiet mornings short-lived. At first, I felt like something important had been taken from me. Abiding in Christ felt a little off. Then I…
Jesus says: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” –John 15:4-5 Grief can mean a lot of things. Long again I thought the only kind of hard…
Anxiety keeps me up at night. Tears usually follow. When I am overcome by feelings of fear and uncertainty, I find that sleep rarely comes easily. Instead, I lay awake with thoughts that run away. In those moments of worry, stress, and pain I know I need to abide in Christ especially. But. My faith feels weak. I don’t know where God is, and I wonder if He truly does love me or wants me to abide in Him. Yes,…
Daily life can be hard. Routines are good, but when heartache lingers in the shadows, routines are not comforting. Waking up each morning we struggle to find the strength to get up and do the next, good spiritual thing. The pressures of decisions, the anxiety of waiting for results, the shifting of circumstances tear apart our emotions. One minute we are fine the next we are crying. Our hearts fall into a spiritually dry, desert season during times like this….