Life is Messy

  • So You Think You Married the Wrong Person . . . Now What?

    Marriage is supposed to be forever. It’s also supposed to be a highlight in our lives. Just look at the energy, excitement, and angst that goes into planning a wedding. Too bad we don’t put the same effort into planning the actual marriage. Our lives might be different if we really thought about why we were getting married, who we were marrying, and how we could learn to be a good spouse. While that kind of serious reflection might break a few engagements, it might also save a lot of heartache. But most of us, even if we’re questioning our choice of life partner, decide to march through our doubts……

  • God Can Save Your Marriage. Here’s How He Saved Mine.

    “When are we going to give up?” I sank to the couch and leaned over my knees. “We make each other miserable.” “Everything’s fine.” The scratchy depth in my husband’s tone reflected just how far from fine we were. “Wouldn’t you rather be with someone who makes you happy?” “I am happy.” He retreated to the kitchen. “I made dinner. Call the kids.” Divorce averted—for now. Click Here to Read the Rest on Crosswalk.Com

  • How to Find God’s Purpose in Your Disappointment

    A few days after my college-age son relapsed with childhood cancer, I was cooking his favorite dinner and the realization that we were about to go into our second three-year battle for his life slammed me particularly hard. Alek, my middles son, walked into the kitchen, and I asked him to pray for his brother and our family. My then sixteen-year-old’s reply? “Sure, Mom. I’ll do it for you. But I’m not really riding the God train right now.” “Not riding the God train?” I stopped chopping vegetables and looked up at him. READ THE REST ON CROSSWALK.COM Want to read more like this?  Be Inspired  Life is Messy Surviving…

  • The Two Sides of Pride

    Ever feel like you fall short of the mark? Miss your best moments? Never make the cut. Always come in last? Feel free to substitute any other heart-hollowing cliché for the few above. They all mean the same thing—You’re not good enough. And maybe you never will be. I grew up in a time when parents were told to shower children with a stream of self-esteem, pep-talk pat-on-the-backs. Be all you can be. You can do anything you put your mind to. Hard work equals success. If you do the right thing, everything will work out. But what happens when all you can be isn’t enough or your mind reaches…

  • 7 Ways to Survive Sending Your Child Off to College

    If you hang around church long enough, you’ll hear people say children are a blessing from the Lord. The Lord agrees. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth” (Psalm 127:3-4 NIV). While I don’t disagree, the term blessing doesn’t quite cover the emotional wreckage that comes with being a parent. Raising children might be the most difficult, heart-wrenching, joyful, and rewarding journey I’ll ever take. When my kids were small and needy, I fantasized about sleeping past sunrise and taking long showers. As they got a little older, I wished for…

  • Panic Party

    Stress. Overload. Anxiety. Fear. Panic. I bet you have personal experience with at least one of these, if not several. I do. I’ve been battling panic attacks for years. They started when my dad walked out just after I turned nineteen, continued with my oldest son’s diagnosis of leukemia at ten, and escalated with his relapse at nineteen. Which we’re still dealing with today. Depending on where you are in your relationship with God, how you were raised, and how you define your faith, you’ll be having a few thoughts about struggle with stress and how to cope with it by using cbd roll on by fresh bros. Stress is…