How young were you the first time you experienced rejection? Personally, I know rejection entered my life at a very young age, probably in kindergarten. But my first vivid memory of this painful human experience happened in middle school. Jason Smith asked me to “go” with him, and I told him I had to think about it. So, his …
Identity Crisis: You Are So Much More than You Think
The struggle is real. Our identity is so important to us, but it’s hard to capture our true self in a world constantly telling us who we should be. Rather than who we are in Christ, we let the mirror be our judge, or our circumstances, or the scale. When we were kids we found our identity in how others …
The Struggle for Joy
If you’re in the trenches trying to find joy in your life, you are not alone. A few months ago, I wrote about this struggle in an article entitled, “If I’m a Christian, Why Am I Not Happy?” Here’s a piece of that post. It’s a reason why we face this giant: “. . . . when the struggle …
Rest for a Deeper Faith Walk and More Productive Life
I think of “rest” when I think of summer. It’s the season of vacations, hammocks, and slowing down. But summer was only like that when I was seven. The lazy hazy days of summer no longer exist unless I intentionally make them days of rest. Life is like that; isn’t it? We have to be intentional about everything that’s important to …
How to Defeat Depression and Restlessness
Depression and Restlessness Engulfed Me One day when I was up to my eyeballs in diapers and bottles, sippy-cups and Cheerios, I sat on a beach with my best friend. It was a beautiful day. Life appeared perfect, but the tears would not stop. Life was a struggle for me. Restlessness refused to leave me alone, and depression sucked the …