Category: Held
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Finding in God What we Need: Overcoming Life’s Challenges
Today at the end of the day I felt myself in desperate need of some time with the Lord. So many thoughts and feelings, anxieties, and the heaviness of life had been bombarding me. I guess I get mad at myself sometimes or disappointed in myself because I am affected by the heaviness of life.…
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Unguarded and Safe
I didn’t mean to say it. Even as the words left my lips, I was surprised by myself. I had an unguarded moment. A moment I couldn’t help but express what I was feeling and thinking. Have you ever done that? It is rare for me because I remain very much in control of myself.…
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You Are Worth it!
I’ve not been a person who indulges in emotion or lets it overwhelm the majority of my life. I like to keep it in check and stay in control. After all, I was taught to suppress, suppress suppress, right? Recently I found myself standing in an audience pretty much with free-flowing tears running down my…
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Abuse and Trauma
Abuse and trauma. In some ways these words have been normalized, minimized, or dismissed by many. Some perceive them as not real or even noteworthy. Instead, they are considered someone’s opinion of what happened, and not reality. This idea that abuse or trauma is in our minds only and that they are our perception of events, diminishes what occurred,…
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It’s Scriptural
While reading scripture tonight I discovered something that was honestly refreshing to me. Perhaps you’re like me and not all your thoughts are always positive or uplifting. Maybe you see that success seems to come easy to others who get ahead through underhanded means, and you feel like things just aren’t fair. Maybe you’ve made…
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Hurt
I remember when I was a girl, and I would get hurt. I would run to my mother and ask her to make it all better. Such a simple thing. And somehow even though she didn’t magically heal the wound just getting a hug and a Band-Aid somehow made it all seem better. I’m definitely…
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Strength from Struggle
It seems like a great irony that we gain strength through struggle. I know we wish that we had strength some other way. Yet time and again in life we can see the truth of it, that struggle and opposition builds our strength when we push through and endure. How many times have you prayed…
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My Father’s Eyes
When I gaze upon the fragments of my life, I see no brilliant stars. It is ordinary, plain, and simple. There are those who differ from me; every moment of their existence is scrutinized. Yet, the seconds of my life pass unnoticed, or at least unnoticed by the world. I recall someone advising me not…
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When I’m all out…
When I’m completely drained, he remains full. At my wits’ end, he stays calm and unafraid. Perhaps he wants me to feel empty, to recognize my need. For in my need, I am reminded of my provider. In my worries, I seek him and find peace. In my lack, I see his strength to meet…
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Powerless but Powerful
I’ve never considered myself weak. Not that I thought I was some kind of super strong, amazing saint. For most of my life, if I set my mind to do or not do something, I could muster enough willpower to follow through on my decision. Whether it was related to health, spiritual matters, or other…
Devotions For Real Life 