Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
I’ve heard a lot of flawed suggestions for correcting behavior. One piece of advice in particular has plagued me for years. Bob Newhart said it, and my inner critic whispers it in my ear. Watch this video, and you’ll see what I mean. Conventional wisdom says that if we have a problem, we should just […]
When our oldest was in kindergarten, I was one busy woman doing for God. I was on staff at our church as the children’s pastor and the room mom for our older daughter. I attended one Bible study group while leading another. It was a season of doing All The Things. Today, I do less. […]
Romeo and Juliet’s love story is a tragedy because of a misunderstanding. Romeo took the fact that Juliet’s eyes were closed—oh, and that she was in a tomb—to mean that she was dead rather than asleep. Upon discovering Juliet with closed eyes, Romeo drinks poison to join her in death. Then, when sleeping Juliet wakes […]
I’m not perfect. I eat too much sugar, I get impatient, and my words are often unkind. My response to imperfections like these is to create an Ideal Jill who’s basically everything I’m not. I compare myself to her and try really hard in the name of self-improvement. I work with all the energy I […]
Last year, our oldest daughter brought home a cabbage to grow for a school project. To help us understand, she pulled up an image of the world’s largest cabbage and matter-of-factly told us that all cabbages look like this one, and her plant would get that big too. She was sorely disappointed. We clearly saw […]
She spoke in hushed tones, “I have everything: my health, good kids, a great husband, and a job I like…why do I feel so restless?” And it’s confusing, right? It’s confusing to have All The Things and still feel restless. What happens when our soul has cabin fever? Where does our restlessness come from? Our […]
When people tell me I have limits, I’m like: We live in a world that says I have a right to be limitless. Unlimited data, streaming, and storage are our rights. Nike even has an ad that says, “When everyone pushes their limits, they reach their maximum potential and live happily ever after.” And who […]
In 2013, Ryan left for a whole month. Work called him away, and I was at home with our two girls, ages 3 and 4 1/2 years, by myself. In hindsight, I see how hard that month was: an extrovert home alone with two littles, a performer who wasn’t able to accomplish much, one parent […]
We all have a past. We all have memories, both beautiful and painful, that have molded us into who we are today. While I do not presume to be God, I do know that His Word is clear on shame, guilt, and His never-running-out love for us. This is a letter written to you from […]
In Season 1 of Netflix’s The Crown, sisters Elizabeth and Margaret reveal their envy for the other. Elizabeth, thrust into the role of queen, wishes she could lead the behind-the-scenes life of her sister, while Margaret is envious of her royal sister’s spotlight. Just like Elizabeth and Margaret, we have a hard time accepting the […]
