Leaving perfectionism behind
I’m a Christian working mom who is married to a pastor who is a former Marine. I am a mother of six and grandmother of one. Once upon a time, my husband and I sold everything we had and served as missionaries overseas. But I’m so much more than that. I am also a woman …
In the beginning your words were only droplets of rain that never really got anything wet. Your earliest murmurings were like those barely perceptible flyspecks of moisture that make pedestrians stop and hold out their hands, palms towards the sky, waiting for the slightest confirmation of what their noses and cheeks already suspect. Your first …
I heard a song recently about stepping out in faith and trusting fully enough to experience miracles, and I was shaken to my core because I, too, want to have faith like that, but then it hit me. I’ve heard the song a hundred times. I have it saved in my playlist, and I belt …
I was one of those girls. I would not leave the house without a full face of makeup, not even to get gas. I knew I looked better with makeup. I felt more polished, more presentable, more ready for my day. And I knew everyone else thought that too. I put makeup on when I …
Continue reading "An Exposé (because lips and eyelashes don’t sweat)"
The reflections of a mother clinging to the 136th chapter I’m not going to lie, when my children were small, I was young and full of pride. I had taken childcare classes, read parenting books, and observed plenty of other mothers. I knew exactly how I was going to raise my children to confident, blissful …
So you think you are beyond the reach of God's grace and mercy? The skeletons in your closet are too scary to be let out into the light? You have sunk too low, and your regrets have piled up higher than your deepest fears (and that's saying a lot)? Well, what makes you so special? …
Monsters are real. I’ve known this for quite a while now, even though it has taken me years to say it out loud. The monsters never look how I imagined them, but I recognize them when I see them. As little kids we know the danger is real. We can feel it and hear it …
It took me a long time to realize this, but I am worth more than leftovers. I can and should lay down my rights for yours and forgive seventy times seven and give my life for a brother, BUT there’s sacrificial giving and then there’s self-sacrificing living, and there’s a fine line between the two. …
You may not know this about me, but sometimes when the world has gone quiet and I’m alone with my thoughts, I bow my head and whisper your name. You may be sick or studying for a test or reeling from a broken heart or picking up the pieces of a shattered dream. You may …
Continue reading "Sometimes I bow my head and whisper your name"
I thought I had it all under control. One day while we were living in Pennsylvania for part of our missionary training, I took the kids and went to WalMart for a supply run. The lady behind me in the checkout line saw me paying for fabric with my four daughters in tow and sporting …
Shaking My Dust 