Treasures in the Hard

Category

March 28, 2019

Hello? Is Anybody Listening?

Unanswered prayer. Whether for self or standing in the gap for others, we pray for healing. Reconciliation. Direction. Salvation. And nothing. Is. Happening. Or perhaps worse, the opposite of our request comes to pass. Is God listening? Have I missed something? Am I praying “wrong”? Is there any point? We lost two very close friends to cancer. We have a photo, now precious to us, of them sitting with us and their spouses on our couch celebrating a new year;...

March 14, 2019

Nipping Navel-Gazing

Our journeys do not run parallel. We do not face the same hards, nor confront them at the same time. Envision hiking a path through soft meadows where birdsong swirls around us, butterflies dance from flower to stem, and the sweet smell of sun-warmed grass carries us along. Soon our journey wanders into wooded forest where deep shade cools our skin, the tops of pines whisper in the breeze as we inhale an earthy scent. Green moss clings to rocks...

February 28, 2019

The Dreaded C Word

One need not journey long in life before the air is sucked from your lungs by the C word. Before you can get your bearings, the cancer roller-coaster sweeps you away through uncertain plunges, dark tunnels, with painful twists and turns. Tests. Biopsies. Scans. Surgeries. Chemo. Radiation. Horrible side effects.  Cancer has earned its badge to induce fear. Unwelcome, it tears at families’ hearts and lives, is no respecter of person or position; of age or strength. It dares to...

February 7, 2019

Feeling Overwhelmed? Plug In.

Life can be overwhelming. A condition ushered in by half-cocked escorts of varying personalities from the craziness of daily responsibilities, to an unforeseen turned corner, to a rogue wave crashing in, knocking you to the deck, leaving you breathless and disoriented. We have all become jugglers, keenly aware of how many balls we can keep moving through the air with sharpened toss-catch techniques. Then out of nowhere, an unexpected ball is hurled into our juggling loop, the wrong size and...

January 24, 2019

2 Words Chock-full of Power

Two words. Linked together, they explode with power, providing ocean depths of hope. Two words spinning dark and impossible, into obtainable light and victory. Two words holding endless potential for reconciliation, healing, renewal, a future. Two words waiting to fill your hard with peace and even joy. These two words? But Jesus. The first almost insignificant word means “on the contrary; except; still; unless; yet”. It’s often glided over in a sentence, unacknowledged as the springboard to big transitions. However,...

January 17, 2019

Firefly Graces

As we traverse the first year anniversary of my husband’s open heart surgery, we are flooded with memories, many unpleasant to recall. Yet, we remain overwhelmed with how God’s grace covered us from the first twinge signaling something amiss, to four months later exiting through the rehab door for the final time. Grace: the freely given and unmerited favor and love of God. Blessing: a special favor, mercy or gift bestowed by God.  Those months filled to the brim with...

January 10, 2019

How God Bridges the Darkness

Adversity in our lives can grow us desperate for a touch from God. In moments of certainty that the ground is breaking apart under us and will swallow us whole, we cannot take another breath, let alone another step, without some assurance He is with us. A health crisis. We had not received a “save the date”. No pre-released schedule of events marked the path before us. It snuck up behind us and knocked the wind out of our lungs...

November 29, 2018

God’s Request About Our Requests

Can we dwell in the land of thanksgiving for a bit longer? The world rushes into the next holiday, but my thoughts linger on giving thanks. Woven throughout the Word, gratitude must be an unbroken cord in our lives. Living through the hard things of life, it is imperative that we bring our wrestling, fear, and troubled spirit to the Lord. He directs us to. He calls us to come and sit with Him, unloading all our anxiety. In His...

November 22, 2018

Give Thanks in the Hard? Seriously?

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalms 100:4-5 Thanksgiving. A day celebrating the blessings of the past year. A season to focus on gratefulness. We hear often, and studies prove, the importance of giving thanks. Taking time to survey each day to pinpoint reasons to be thankful. I’m all-in on the concept...

November 1, 2018

A Place of Sorrow

Awhile back, out of the blue, a video surfaced on Facebook that tore at my heart and triggered some painful memories for me. And I was struck with the question, “Why, after so much healing has taken place, both inside of me and in relationships, why does the pain still feel so real? Why does it even exist? Why does the struggle to “not go there” and rehash everything become so intense?...