I am not a craft-skilled person despite many attempts to become one. I love having artistic skills—sewing, calligraphy, knitting, crocheting, etc.—but every time I try, I quickly become frustrated with how slow I am initially. When trying to crochet a scarf, I make more knots than progress. Once, during a sewing attempt, I somehow got the entire shirt jammed underneath the needle, effectively sewing the shirt into a ball. I see defeat in my mind’s eye, so I think, why did I even start? I give up before I even try and remain without a craft to call my own.
How To Better Understand Relationships and Enliven What Matters by Billie Jauss
We don’t always get to choose the people we encounter. They often don’t look like us, speak the same language, or have the same opinions. However, we can understand the level of connections, navigate the depth of each, and continue to build community.
Big Hugs to the Momma of a Senior by Alicia Searl
Friend, let me tell you – Nobody prepares you for this season. No matter how many times you hear that the high school years will be a blip on the radar, I had no real understanding of how fast these years would fly by, let alone how excruciatingly difficult they would be. Nobody warned me how my momma’s heart would be pulled and stretched in ways I never thought imaginable. How I would want to freeze time yet beg for it to hurry up. How a tender moment could take my breath away, but a simple choice could shatter our family’s world into a million pieces. Oh, how I questioned my worth as a mom and began to doubt my parenting capabilities.
When We’re Not Enough, God’s Grace Is More than Enough by Dawn R. Ward
Normally, I would have waited to pray until after I nestled into my favorite chair with my Bible in my lap and tasted my first sip of coffee. However, this time, the urge to discover the relevance of my dream was too strong to ignore. The dream itself was nothing out of the ordinary. I was standing outside, taking in the beauty of nature. As I looked around, I saw a green pasture with fluffy white sheep nestled in its grasses. Overseeing them were a few shepherds, carefully tending to their flocks. As I looked on, I sensed God had other sheep in mind who needed to feel as safe as these did under their attentive watch.
Your Broken Is Beautiful by Amber Ginter
I used to believe the lie that I had to have everything together before I was capable of helping others. As a teen, this wasn’t a huge issue. Hosting events, volunteering, and serving were synonymous with my last name. I didn’t realize how broken, fragmented, and crazy my life would get over the next decade. By the time I graduated college, I felt utterly worthless. Getting diagnosed with 10+ mental and physical health conditions right out of school will do that to you. I’d always grown up around chaos and anxiety, but now the turmoil was within.