Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
Here’s a try-hard girl sharing some common-sense grace! I knew that Rebekah was a kindred spirit when I read her book You Are Free. Here’s what caught my attention: “I’ve run the hamster wheel of achievement and acceptance; a headstrong, Type-A control freak, looking for love.” Religion, responsibility, popularity, approval and achievement reigned in her […]
Never in my life has my weight been a simple series of digits. It’s been about identity and self-worth, a point of pride and deflation. My weight has never been just a number. Friends, something is going on in our hearts when we’ve become this obsessed with losing weight. Why are we obsessed with losing […]
I can count the number of times that I’ve asked for help outright on one hand, and each time involves people bringing me food after a hospital stay. I’m willing to receive a meal after a major life event, but after that? Back off, sister. I can handle my life on my own, thank you […]
I have a friend who homeschools her four kids, runs a blog and a podcast, has regular girls’ nights out, hosts a small group, and is an encouragement to everyone she meets. Her capacity seems so much bigger than mine. I feel the tension between a world shouting that doing more makes me more valuable and […]
While training for a half-marathon several years ago, nothing—neither hell nor high water—could prevent me from accomplishing my goal. I ran at 5 a.m. in below-freezing temperatures. I ran when my health was not great. I ran when my feet ached and screamed, “Please don’t make us put on those shoes!” For me, goal-achievement reigns […]
Right now, we’re being inundated by messages like, “New year, new you,” “Make this year count,” and “Plan your best year ever.” Part of me relishes these challenges—this is the year I can do better, be more, and come into my own! But another part of me shrinks back. It sounds so hard, not because […]
Over the salty, umami goodness of Mediterranean food, my friend Melissa and I talk about life, kids, and work. She’s an entrepreneur who’s working hard to build a successful business. And then, somewhere in the middle of our conversation, Melissa said the most interesting thing… “I’m learning that it doesn’t have to look a certain way.” […]
The New Year is here, and maybe you’re overwhelmed by all the looking back and dreaming forward. I wonder if, just for a minute, you and I could look at who we are right now. In 2018, on the blog, we’ll focus on three areas: Our GPS (where we are right now and WHO we are). […]
In my teenage years, those of the ’90s, my CD player played U2, Alannis Morisette, and whatever band sang “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” My closet held Brighton belts, baggy jeans paired with baggy tees, and formal dresses with really poof-y sleeves. And my eyes scanned for any magazine quiz I could get my hands on: Seventeen […]
“Everything is needful that He sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds.” – John Newton Newton had it right: God gave you what you needed and protected you from what you didn’t this year. And as I reflect on the past 365 days, a few things have become clear. Friends, here’s what worked for […]
