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There was a morning when a child ran out the door to catch the bus. Late. Shoes in one hand, jacket in the other. Backpack hanging open. Sock-clad feet racing over wet grass. Tears had flowed that morning. The child was slow to leave bed. And eat breakfast. And brush teeth. The mom responded with impatience. As […]
I’m Praying for You I pray a lot in the shower. No one sees me there, and the water spray masks the tears. To be honest, my prayers, especially those in the shower, are often crisis-induced. Friendship woes. Job loss. Death. Divorce. I run with the pain of my friends to God. What prompts you […]
I’m Annoyed “Sometimes I want to hide in the bathroom,” a friend once said to me, confessing her struggle to love a certain individual in the church. Does that sound slightly familiar? The opinions, sins, and personality types within the church can really start to irritate us. We might not actually hide in the bathroom, […]
I cried once at a park. Well, probably more than once considering childhood escapades involving roller skates and hills, but these particular tears came the summer after our son attended a typical kindergarten. We were leaving the park one afternoon when a former classmate walked up and said, “Hi, Chase!”
My eight-year-old looks up at the industrial lights that crisscross the ceiling of the grocery store, and I brace myself for the ensuing outburst. I’m prepared for his loud shouts, jumping feet, and flapping hands. The startled shoppers are not.
I have a love/hate relationship with hope. I love the possibility of a hope fulfilled. I hate the fear of disappointment. I remember loving hope, and hating it, too, when I entered an essay contest in grade school. I had eyes for one prize only – the 110 pixie camera, all new and glorious in […]
Soaring melodies. Pulsing rhythms. The Pandora Gladiator station pounds epic movie scores through the seams of the garage, and I half expect to see heroic acts of valor when I push open the door. Instead, I’m greeted by everyday life. A car with its hood propped open. Spark plugs. My husband leaning into the engine […]
The church is warm, hot really, which isn’t surprising considering it’s the middle of summer in Kansas. My stomach sends nervous signals that make me fidget. As insistent as the signals are, I’m unsure – or afraid – of their meaning. Do I get up? Do I walk forward? Do I not? The missionary stands […]
We are, most of us, well acquainted with Ecclesiastes’ carousel of seasons whirling in life – times to mourn, dance, weep, laugh. While we wish to hide tears and seek laughter instead, there is no hide-and-seek to play. The seasons – they just come.
My heart turns often with the grief of others, and mine, to this prayer:
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