When life gets hard, it is rarely the circumstances themselves that derail us. Rather, it is our hidden misconceptions of God. False impressions of him create sneaky undercurrents of mistrust in our hearts, hampering our intimacy with him and our ability to face the circumstance with peaceful hearts.

Sometimes God uses irony to get our attention. I recently survived one of my worst parenting days ever. Pretty much the whole day, I felt like a cross between an angry drill sergeant and a volcano. The tell-tale vein on the side of my forehead was in overdrive. Can you relate? Then, in divinely ironic timing, just as my forehead vein settled down for the evening, I received a text message. “Could you write an article entitled ‘5 Tips for Stay-at-Home Parents?’” I laughed. I felt like the one who needed the tips—not the one who should be giving them! 

Most of us start ministry full of idealistic enthusiasm mingled with a few misconceptions. Although we might not say it this way, many of us pursue ministry as though we “want to be the very best, like no one ever was.”

We heard God whisper to us that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few (Matt. 9:37-38). We knew it would be messy and there would be plenty of dying to self, but still we pictured ourselves frolicking through fields with the Lord of the harvest, a throng of changed lives behind us. Yet nothing prepares us for the stress.

No matter the context—in the church, marketplace, even at home—the stress of ministry can be so heavy. Usually, if it feels too heavy, we are shouldering weight that isn’t ours to carry.

No matter our relationship status, chances are we each know what a lonely heart feels like. When loneliness strikes, we naturally begin to dwell in the oh-so-unhelpful “if only.” Today, I simply want to offer a better “if only.”

We can’t always prevent worst-case scenarios from happening. But we can line them up next to the promises of God, hold them up to the light of His character, and tell ourselves a truer and better story.

Sometimes when I’m reading a suspenseful story to my kids and we get to a super intense part of the plot, they freak out. I’m talking eyes shut, ears plugged, fetal position—the whole nine yards. In those moments, . . .

Tension was high. One more squabble, one more kid acting out in anger, one more outburst, and the Mom Volcano was sure to blow. I had tried everything . . .

The receipt gave it away. A strange feeling had been building as I shopped, but I couldn’t name it until I looked down at the receipt in my hand…

What we see is never the whole story. That’s true for the people we meet, the news articles we read, and the social media profiles we scroll through. It’s even true for the beautiful plant I intentionally let die…

Have you ever gone into an experience thinking it will be cheesy, only to have your socks knocked off? A recent assignment during an amazing writing class was like that for me. We were asked to…

Our camera rolls make excellent portraits of what we love. My grandma’s is filled with friends, family, and food. My mom’s is full of beach sunsets and grandkids. My sister’s is full of Watson and Henry, her beloved dog and new baby. If you scroll through mine…

I’ve been watching and praying as a spiraling storm of suffering has infiltrated my circle. One by one, friends have confided…

God’s rescue plan for His beloved, self-destructing creation is so straightforward, the whole thing fits in a nutshell: Despite being created by God to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, we have…