In elementary school, I made frequent visits to the nurse’s office. “I have a stomachache,” I’d say. The kind nurse, perhaps knowing what was really going on, would escort me to a mercifully quiet...
I’m part of a panel at a women’s event, and those of us on stage are asked, “Do you ever struggle with confidence? It looks like all of you have it together.” I’ve been asked this before, told this...
I’ve said “I can’t do this” to myself thousands of times, in various situations, but they all seem to have this in common: they push me outside my comfort zone (especially as an introvert). Just...
I’m at an event holding a tiny plate covered with crackers and cheese, green grapes, and a few olives, wondering how to eat without looking awkward. Actually, I’m wondering how to even be in this...
If you’re tired today, that’s okay. Being tired means you’ve worked hard, given much, loved deep. To need rest isn’t weakness, it’s proof you’ve offered your all. In the moments when you need rest,...
Sometimes when we want answers what we’re really looking for is a way to calm our anxiety. If we knew the plan and what would happen, then we could relax. We could feel more in control. Things would...
When my granddaughter Eula was learning to walk, her steps were wobbly. She was all exuberance and no coordination. At the time, the laundry room was irresistibly enticing (something I knew she...
“How do I know what God wants me to do?” I asked this question recently while having coffee with a friend. In a season when I needed to make several decisions, I felt stuck at a crossroads, unsure...
The church is in the center of a small town, the kind that’s a combination of boarded up windows and cute boutiques selling soap with ribbons around it or antiques repainted turquoise. The foyer...
In my early twenties, I sat in a counselor’s office as she drew a horizontal line across her paper. Below it, she added arrows reaching toward the line but never quite touching it. She said the...