From The Mouth Of Julie’s Mom
Good morning... Our prayers for healing from cancer for our friend Julie were not answered as we had hoped, but Julie's mom still believes in God's healing power, just like I do. Taught to trust through painful life experience after painful life experience, she still believes boldly in God's higher plan. "I only know that throughout my life, even as a child, I have felt God's presence," she wrote me and gave me permission [...]
Raised Up With Purpose
Good morning... After yesterday's post, one subscriber wrote: "How to have faith and belief in God when you can’t KNOW everything is something I struggle with all the time. Your daily words help so much. I especially love your last words this morning and will keep them with me: 'My sinking heart can rise up and trust what my brain can’t understand.' That is such a simply perfect way to think about faith and [...]
My Sinking Heart
Good morning... My heart sank when my close friend texted yesterday morning, four days into her unexpected hospital stay: "Waiting for the pathology from the spinal tap. Yes, no doubt there is an abnormality. They have it in one of two camps: a very rare syndrome that causes recurrent meningitis or a malignant tumor. Praying no malignant or other cancer that can do harm. That is the prayer. I know you will echo this [...]
Every Day Of My Eternal Life
Good morning... In my early morning hours, why has God been teaching me about boundaries? Boundaries seem like such a human construct, such a worldly theory, such a man made model for heathy living. Why focus my quiet time on boundaries, LORD? I sense God saying, "It is time to exchange your boundaries for My boundaries. As I melt your layers of self-protection, obsolete are the walls you erected in fear to keep yourself [...]
Beefing Up Our Boundaries
Good morning... When I googled the term "semi-permeable boundaries" for yesterday's post, I happened upon this article by Dr. Neill Neill entitled: "Personal Boundaries and Healthy Relationships." The wisdom shared here is very important as we consider how we are made in the image of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow in Jesus' footsteps into healthy relationships. Dr. Neill shares with us the truth about boundaries. "A lot of difficulties and [...]
God’s Semi-permiable Boundary
Good morning... When I was training in my twenties to be a Marriage and Family Therapist, I learned a lot about boundaries. Some families have rigid boundaries. Secrets and unresolved pain grow like weeds in the petri dish of a closed system. Some families are open systems, where anything goes all the time, stripping members of privacy and protection. The healthiest families have semi-permeable boundaries, opening the door to good, life-giving experiences and closing [...]
One Funky Find
Good morning... God can break into our daily lives in very funky ways. I have a hilariously weird story for you. Last week, my senior in high school was playing her important lacrosse game at a faraway school. Fortunately, I thought the game started at 5:00 pm instead of 5:30 pm so I had plenty of time to settle into the stadium when I arrived at the field at 4:55 pm. Unfortunately, I did [...]
God Is In Our “Parking Lot” Moments
Good morning... If you know anything about the collapse of the I-85 bridge in Atlanta a few weeks back, you know that traffic has been horrible on surface streets around town. Getting anywhere from anywhere has been laden with frustrating delays. I had this experience yesterday when I drove to my friend's home for an early morning walk. What usually takes me ten minutes took me thirty. My gracious friend welcomed me at her [...]
Meaningful Mishaps
Good morning... Through a series of mishaps, we met in the grocery store parking lot, me loading my trunk, she driving up in her SUV. I was delayed since I went back for a few items I had forgotten my first time through the check out line. "Ugh." She had forgotten to take home some items she had purchased, so she was driving back to the store to retrieve them. Double "Ugh." But because [...]
When We Don’t Really Know
Good morning… One line lingers in my mind from the passage I shared in yesterday's post. Jesus answered, “You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7, CEV). In so many confusing ways we "don't really know" what God is doing. We "don't really know" why some people are plagued by disease or depression, infertility or dementia, physical handicaps or gender identity struggles. We "don't really know" how [...]
When We Don’t Really Know
“You don’t really know what I am doing,” Jesus says to his disciples, “but later you will understand” John 13:7 (CEV). In so many confusing ways we don't really know what God is doing. We don't really know why some people are plagued by disease or depression, infertility or dementia, physical handicaps or gender identity struggles. We don't really know how we can pray diligently for the healing of our deeply loved ones, [...]
Grief’s Slow Healing
My recent post, "Run toward the roar," has created a lot of great dialogue, face to face and through email exchanges. One long time friend, who has lived through an immensely painful loss, wrote: "Hey Sue. Wow, this one is powerful and hits me deeply. As I think about it I don't see myself having run towards the roar when bad things have happened in my life. It feels more like after our huge [...]