Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28–30 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 15:5 This summer I’ve taken…
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….
Summer was supposed to be relaxing. But with five kids and full schedules, I felt cheated. All I wanted to do was sit by the pool, sip my homemade pink drink with coconut milk, and read my book. Instead, I was sticky and hot driving my kiddos all over to various activities. Then a child gets sick. Or maybe I find myself having to get up early and go to bed late for a week. The disruptions and ordinary days…
Again. I sat on my bed and sighed. That one sin had crept back into my heart, mind, and out through my raised voice. For years I’ve struggled with this one sinful habit. I’ve prayed, memorized Scripture, asked others to pray, and begged God to help me do better. I would see a victory and a breakthrough, but then in a moment of weakness I would fall back again into old sinful patterns. It often happened when I was tired…