Stories and reflections on faith and following God when anxieties and doubts try to get in the way
If we have been on this earth long enough, we have already heard or read many of the things we have needed to know, especially if we are actively seeking wisdom for certain areas of our lives. Yet we still keep seeking, and even when we take in advice, we don't always follow through with it.
I have always loved nature photography. When I was struggling with depression during my senior year of college, my eyes ached from scrolling through Pinterest for pictures of mountains and butterflies and birds. I watched nature documentaries. I obsessed over pictures of snails taken by photographer Vyacheslav Mishchenko. I sat outside in the cold and... Continue Reading →
When we talk about sex as bad, we more deeply ingrain the idea that it is objectifying and vulgar, and we associate it with only shame. When we describe it only as sacred and private, we gloss the idol in gold, as if it were the communion bread that was sacred and not the remembrance.
Self-doubt turns me inward and tells me I'll never be good enough. But the Bible is full of stories of helplessly broken people who were used for God's glory, not because of their confidence or abilities, but because of God's power within them.
How often has our obsession with happiness gotten in the way of something better?
We are not made to find all of the answers in our own individual experiences. When we share stories, we pile hope into an already vast collection of shared hopes and triumphs--stories of faith and overcoming despite all of the reasons to despair.
You are not alone, and many like yourself have completed the journey you are just beginning who are ready to tell you that you can do it.
Ever since I was a kid, I have had people tell me to eat more, to get "some meat on those bones," or that I was "skinny," "bony," or just "skin and bones."
Today, I want to challenge you--and myself--to pray a little differently.
