The psalmist boasts confidence in seeing the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living; that is, in the here and now. (Psalm 27:13) But one glance around assaults our sensitivities with evil and suffering. Where the goodness? Yet perhaps we glimpse the goodness of God in suffering as nowhere else. Suffering never exceeds the limitations God places upon it….
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The Goodness of God in Suffering
Hiding Hope in Your Heart
Entering the new year with Hope, God blessed my days with many reflections on Hope, which poured forth here on the blog in many forms. My new One Word Friend seems intent on strengthening my heart for the days ahead. Learning the importance of hiding Hope in your heart helps prepare you for times when your heart loses the strength…
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January Journal: Share Four Somethings
Waving farewell to another month, I rejoice in a glance back at my January Journal joining Jennifer Goodwin as she hosts a monthly feature called, Share Four Somethings, where writers share the fourth Saturday of each month something in each of four categories from the previous month. Many readers notice I choose a theme for each month, which often reflects lessons or themes from…
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Holding Onto Hope in Hard Times
Sometimes stepping out into a new year as a book of blank pages feels intimidating. While we anticipate new and exciting experiences, apprehension of new hardships lingers in the background. Even as a new year infuses us with expectation, thoughts of holding onto Hope in Hard times tinges our enthusiasm with doubt. Though facing the new beginning of a new…
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Pursuing the Power of Hope
Choosing a word companion each new year provides a singular focus within the events of that year. God revealed my 2023 word a few months ago, weaving a three-fold cord with my 2021 One Word, Joy, 2022 One Word Resilience and newcomer Hope as the 2023 One Word candidate. Pursuing the power of Hope throughout 2023 involves trusting the strength…
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The Key to Overcoming Overwhelm
Have you ever noticed how closely overwhelm lingers on the fringe of something new? Sort of like a vulture hovering over a wounded animal. At first hesitant at stepping into a new year, the excitement of resting in the God of new beginnings, inspired me. Briefly. Then the usual overwhelm questions kicked in. After much wrestling, the key to overcoming…
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The Gladness of Grief
Grief is funny that way. Though at times the overwhelming sorrow chokes my next breath, the gladness of grief appears in the sweetest memories. Which if not for grief, would slip quietly away, unnoticed. Binding happier times within our hearts, grief’s work over time, secures healing through the very moments which seem lost forever. Yes, with the passing of time…
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Cultivating Hope in the New Year
Not everyone faces the New Year with Hope. While many hold excitement for the fresh start, others dread yet another year, or glad to exit a disappointing year, face the new one with benign indifference. Making space for cultivating hope in the new year shifts our perspective from one of bleakness to one of positive expectation. Our view of the…
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A New Year: A Book of Blank Pages
Both Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck found the blank page their most feared enemy. I suppose many people find facing a new year, as a blank book of pages before them equally as frightening. While I heartily agree with Hemingway and Steinbeck from a writer’s point of view, I hold mixed feelings at best, standing on the threshold of a…
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