Monthly Archives: April 2021

Blooming Against All Odds

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The Bush I’ve Tried to Kill

I got out of the car the other day and looked at the side of our house, where I saw the flowers below and laughed out loud. Since we moved into this house a few years ago, I have been trying to get the side patch in our yard cleared out. When we moved in, it was all overgrown with plants and shrubs and vines. Everything was mangled together in a huge mess.

the bush that just keeps blooming
from my yard

This one shrub, I have hacked and hacked to death trying to get it out of our yard. I thought I succeeded last year. When I walked over to get a closer look at the flowers, I saw that they were part of the shrub I thought I’d gotten rid of. There’s really no reason any flowers should be blooming. I have tried to destroy that shrub, but this one branch stayed alive and produced flowers.

As soon as I saw the flowers, I knew I wanted to take a picture because—what a life lesson. I want to be like those flowers—that no matter how hard life gets, no matter what’s thrown my way, against all odds, I’m still standing. And not only am I still standing, but I’m thriving.

When Life Knocks You Down

What has life thrown at you this year? What has come your way that should have knocked you down and taken you out of the game? Life’s hard, and nobody gets a pass. What has threatened to destroy your joy, your passion, your love for God and others?

Whatever it is, I want to challenge you to not let it. Choose to get back up again if you’ve fallen. Remember, it’s not whether we’ve fallen or not that makes us a success; it’s whether we get back up after we’ve fallen and keep going.


For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…

Proverbs 24:16 KJV

Refuse to Give Up

If you’ve been knocked down, you’re not out of the game, not yet. Stand back up; brush yourself off, and put yourself back in the game. You have to choose to keep going. Don’t give up on that dream. Don’t walk away from this opportunity just because it got hard. Refuse to let somebody’s criticism or harsh words keep you from doing what you know God wants you to do.

Just like my flowers, you can bloom no matter the circumstances. Usually the most beautiful flowers and the ones that catch our attention the most are the ones blooming where they shouldn’t be. They’re the flowers blooming in the crack of a cement wall, in the middle of a desert, on the side of a cliff, or on railroad tracks. It’s the flowers that have defied all odds that capture our attention.

a flower blooming where it shouldn't

Be like the plant that blooms despite all odds. No matter what life throws your way, don’t quit. Keep going; keep blooming. When you do, you will be a beauty for others to behold and inspiration for them not to quit.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, read Stick It Out: 3 Daily Choices to Prevent Quitting. A great book on this topic is Breakthrough: Transforming the Death of a Dream to the Birth of a Breakthrough by Matt Manney.

When You Take Your Husband With to Watch the Sunrise

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My Love for Sunrise

If you’ve been reading my blog posts for any amount of time, you know that I have a thing for mornings and for sunrises. Sunrise is the absolute best part of a new morning. Every time I see a sunrise, it reminds me that God’s mercies are new today. The slate is clean; it’s a new day with new possibilities.

I can’t see the sunrise from where I live in the city, so my go-to spot is the Starbucks parking lot a few miles from my house. From there, I can look across the street and get a good view of the sun coming up. Every so often, I drive there before the sun comes up, order a coffee, and just sit and watch the sun come up.

Our Early Morning Date

This morning, I told my husband I was going to run to Starbucks to watch the sunrise. He asked if he could go with me. So we wrote a quick note for the kids and left the house on our mini date. We got to Starbucks and I showed him where to park to avoid the trees and get the best view. Then I ran in to grab our order—an iced coffee for me and a hot coffee for him. When I came back to the car and got settled, he turned to me and said, “What do we do now?” I just laughed. He’s not used to just sitting and doing nothing.

“Now, we wait,” I said. I teased him about being like a little kid wanting to get to the next thing and we laughed together about it. He talked for a little while before I looked over at him and smiled.

“What?” he asked.

“Normally, it’s quiet when I do this,” I said with a laugh. He laughed and fell silent.

We both sat expectantly and waited for the sun to come up. It didn’t disappoint; it never does. The sun came up, glorious in its rising. We both sat quietly and watched the progression.

sunrise

The Reminder of God’s Faithfulness

The sunrise is like a gift, a reward for making it through another day, another night. To me it represents so much more than just another day. It represents God’s faithfulness and goodness. It’s a daily reminder that God hasn’t forgotten me, He hasn’t left me to navigate life by myself.

Be Reminded of God’s Faithfulness

If you are feeling discouraged today, forgotten, lonely, or just feel like you need a reminder of God’s faithfulness, I challenge you to choose a day this weekend or next week to get up early. Go find a spot where you can see the sun come up. Grab a coffee and just sit and watch. There’s something so awe-inspiring about it. I promise you, it will be worth the effort to get up early.

When the sun comes up, and the world transitions from the darkness of night to the beauty of a brand new day, let it remind you that this is God’s gift to you, his daily reminder that He hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you and will be faithful today, just as he was yesterday.

If you’re in a difficult season right now, don’t give up. Don’t listen to the voice inside your head that tries to convince you that God doesn’t love you or that He doesn’t care about what you’re going through. Remember, that just as the night will pass and the sun will eventually rise, you will come through this difficult season. God will get you through. Soon, the beginnings of daylight will start to lighten the sky. The rays of the sun will start to break through. Eventually, the sun will rise fully and the darkness will dissipate.

Just as the sun rose today, it will rise again tomorrow. So too, God will be faithful today, and He will be faithful once again tomorrow. He is right beside you, walking with you hand-in-hand to get you through another day.

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, read Mornings are Our Reset Button.

Two songs that I’m loving right now that talk of God’s faithfulness are Do It Again and Morning by Morning. Do It Again is by Elevation Worship. I absolutely love the chorus of this song. Morning by Morning by Pat Barrett is a newer song to me that I am loving as well. Both of these songs are based on two of my favorite verses in the Bible, found in Lamentations.

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22,23 KJV

10 Things You Can Do to Combat Burnout

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girl with head on desk in burnout

My Friend’s Text

A friend of mine messaged me this week that she is at the edge of burnout. She didn’t use those words exactly, but after she told me how she is feeling…that is the word I would use to describe what she’s going through. She told me she feels tapped out in every area of life and just can’t keep going. That is the very definition of burnout. Webster’s Dictionary defines burnout as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.”

Have you been there? Are you there right now? We all have times in our lives when we just hit the wall, when we just absolutely feel like we can’t keep going. With life so incredibly stressful now with the lasting impact of Covid, the social unrest, the stress of finances, and more, so many of us are facing burnout.

My Burnout

I went through a season of serious burnout about six years ago. It was right on the heels of a car fire we had. Multiple things merged during that time that sent me spiraling into burnout. 


Because of the real fear I felt, knowing that someone had set fire to our car, I no longer slept well at night. Add to that a baby and a toddler and two other young kids, I was exhausted all the time. This was also around the time that we had several church members get mad at us and leave the church. On top of all that, we were trying to grow our church and find a new building to meet in. I was past being able to handle life.


I felt unloved, helpless, overlooked, overworked, exhausted, tapped out, and stressed out of my mind. What resulted was an inability to be around people. That is not good when you’re a pastor’s wife. Although I knew it wasn’t healthy, I honestly just could not be around people. I just wanted to be alone or with my family. This, in turn, only added to my guilt and frustration.

It took me a good eighteen months to get through that season of life. Though it was long and hard, God got me through it.

How are You Handling Life?

Have you been there? Are you there now? Everybody handles burnout differently. You may be handling your burnout fine all day at work, but then you come home and fall apart. You eat junk food and binge tv late into the night to cope. Maybe you’re home all day with kids that are home from school from covid and you can’t take one more minute. So what results is mom screaming and yelling all day long, only to fall in bed at night in tears for the way you handled yourself with your kids. Maybe you pull away from everybody and spend copious time alone. Maybe you try to find an escape, spending money you don’t have just to feel good and try to find an escape. I am guilty of doing all of these things at one time or another.

Encouragement


Let me first encourage you that burnout is not bad. Burnout is simply your body and mind’s way of telling you you’ve pushed too hard for too long. It’s a warning that if you don’t back off now, there will be literal physical consequences to your body. 
So if you’re in a season of burnout right now, it’s time to stop and notice what your body is trying to tell you.

Let me share with you some things that helped me. Hopefully, one or two of them will help you get through your season of burnout.

10 Things You Can Do to Combat Burnout

  1. Get extra rest. During this season, you are going to need more rest than usual. Find ways to get extra rest. Fit in a nap when you can. Try to go to bed earlier at night on the nights you can.
  2. Plan a weekly day off. You need to have one day a week that you do nothing stressful. Do something that you enjoy on that day.
  3. Find quiet time. Find time away from everybody, away from the traffic and noise of the city, and go somewhere to find peace and quiet, even if it’s only for an hour. Go sit at a park, take a walk, find a lake to sit next to…do something to get away for just a little bit and give yourself breathing room.
  4. Remove extracurricular activities for a time. Get rid of anything but the essentials. Say not to anything you can just until you get past this season. You need to find ways to remove some of the stress right now.
  5. Make things easy for yourself right now. Throw food in the crock pot every morning so you don’t face 5pm decision fatigue trying what to decide to cook for dinner. Order groceries online and pick them up or better yet, get them delivered. 
  6. Develop a morning time routine. It’s imperative that you find time to spend with God daily right now. This will help keep you grounded and keep you from spiraling out of control and doing something you regret.
  7. Read an encouraging book. Find a book that can encourage your heart.
  8. Listen to uplifting Christian music. Create a list of music on Spotify that contains only spiritually uplifting music.
  9. Do something for yourself for fun. Buy a new book, some new art supplies, a cute shirt or pair of shoes, a writing journal, a new wall painting, or whatever small joy that brings a smile to your face.
  10. Let someone know you are struggling so they can pray for you and check in with you. Suffering alone is the absolute worst thing you can do.

This Time Will Come to an End

It’s important to remember that nothing lasts forever. This season of burnout won’t last forever, even though it feels like it will. God will get you through this season. Stay faithful to Him and let Him carry you through this time. Here’s a few verses to encourage your heart.

Thank God because he’s good, because his love never quits.

Psalm 118:1 MSG

In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.

Psalm 118:5 NLT

I was right on the cliff-edge, ready to fall, when God grabbed and held me.

Psalm 118:13 MSG

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

I Corinthians 10:13 MSG

More on This Topic

For More Encouragement on this topic, check out my post Fresh Hope for a Burned-Out Life. I recommend Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist and Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy by All Worthington.

The Value of a Getaway

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mom and girls on getaway
Me and my girls

Our Getaway

A week ago, our family went on a getaway. We took a few days off and drove about two hours north to Lancaster, PA for a vacation. We spent time playing in the pool at the hotel, going out to eat, visiting some of our favorite stores, building legos, and of course drinking lots of coffee.

I always forget how even just a few days away can make such a big difference. There’s just something about a change of pace and a change of place that helps to bring some much needed peace.

When the pressures of every day life grow to be too heavy to handle, and it seems like the stress is just too much, sometimes all it takes is a few days away to get some peace and perspective. I feel like we were able to get just that.

Matt and I started our morning each morning in the hotel with a coffee from Starbucks and extra time doing our morning time routine. The kids just played or watched something while we did this. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We didn’t have to hurry out the door to go somewhere, we didn’t have to get school started, we didn’t have to get busy working…we just took our time and enjoyed our morning.

Matt and Malachi building legos

Finding Time Alone

I love this verse from the book of Lamentations. Lamentations is one of those unassuming books in the Bible that is chock full of great verses.

Finding time alone is one of the best things we can do when we are discouraged and disheartened or feel like we can’t hold up beneath the weight of our burdens. I think it works best if it’s somewhere other then your home. There’s something about a new location that seems to help us be more sensitive to God’s voice. Maybe it’s a cabin in the woods, next to a creek, in the mountains, at the beach, a hotel, or a coffee shop. Wherever it is, find time to be quiet and alone. Let God be the One to restore your hope.

Planning a Getaway

If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or just lost your creativity or passion, maybe it’s time to plan a getaway. It doesn’t have to be long or expensive. Nor does it have to be something awesome like Disney Land; it can simply be an overnight stay an hour away. Don’t underestimate the peace that even just twenty-four hours away can bring.

When Your Pain Paves the Way for a Miracle

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three crosses and words: her loss and pain paved the way for an amazing miracle

Mary’s Past

Mary stood at the foot of the cross watching her beloved Master suffer in agony. His pain was suffocating her. She wished she were the one up there suffering instead of him. She deserved to be there because of her shameful past; her Master did not. He hadn’t done anything wrong.

He had entered her life and turned her world upside down. Before him, she only knew darkness. Her life only existed in a loveless, colorless life. Yet, when Jesus entered her life, he changed everything. He cast out the darkness inside of her, giving her new life and freedom. She began to see life in color for the very first time. He gave her a purpose worth living for. He changed everything for her. She chose to follow him everywhere that he went. Those had been the best days of her life. A sob built in her chest as she watched the one who had changed her suffering and in so much pain.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He had done so much good. Jesus spoke life into everyone around him. He had healed so many people. Mary tightened her arm around her friend, Mary, Jesus’ mother. As much as she herself was hurting, she couldn’t begin to imagine the grief Mary was enduring. Yet, Mary stood stoically, gazing upon her firstborn son. Mary looked around her friend Mary to see Salome, James’ and John’s mother standing on Mary’s other side. As Mary’s two friends, it was their job to stand on either side of her, ready to hold her up if need be.

Mary’s Pain

Hours later, Mary stood in the same position, her heart numb. She tightened her hold on Mary as they stood watching the men roll a huge stone in front of the tomb, cutting off their last view of Jesus’ body. It was then that Mary’s stoic composure finally crumbled. Mary and Salome both knelt beside their friend as her grief consumed her.

Mary had no words to say to her friend. She simply held her as she fell apart. All she felt was emptiness. Her heart felt cold and empty. Why? That was the only word that kept running through her mind over and over on an endless loop.

Jesus’ Choice

Have you ever been there? Have you had your world comes crashing down and the only word that comes to mind is why? All you feel is emptiness. This is where Mary Magdalene found herself. This was the same Mary in whom Jesus cast out seven demons. After that, she became a devout follower of Jesus. That’s what led her to the foot of the cross that day. Even when Jesus’ most devout followers forsook him and fled, Mary followed Jesus. She stood with Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Salome, the mother of James and John—two of Jesus’ disciples.

What makes Mary’s story truly incredible is that Mary is the first person that Jesus appears to after his resurrection. Of all the people he could have chosen to appear to first, he chose Mary.

He could have chosen:

  1. Mary- his mother
  2. Peter- the disciple who had betrayed him
  3. John- his close friend and disciple, “the one whom Jesus loved”
  4. Joseph of Arimathea- the man who gave his tomb so that Jesus could be buried in it
  5. Any of his brothers or sisters
  6. The religious leaders who had requested his crucifixion
  7. Pilate- the Roman governor who gave the order for Jesus’ crucifixion

Instead, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. Mary had no way of knowing on Friday that the greatest miracle this world has ever known would take place in just three days. Her loss and pain paved the way for Jesus to perform an amazing miracle, one that forever changed the course of history.

Paving the Way for a Miracle

I don’t know what you’re going through right now. You may be experiencing the death of a dream, the loss of a job, a heartbreak, a setback, a relationship that has been destroyed, incredible financial strain, physical pain, bad health, a divorce, a desire that just won’t come to fruition… I don’t know what it is, but I do know this. It’s part of your story. God’s allowed this chapter to be written into your story.

You may not want it as a part of your story. You may be begging God to change your story. I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve been in a place where I knew God could change the story, and I believed with everything inside of me that He would. And when he chose not to, I felt my hope dissipate.

My story didn’t turn around in three days. It took much longer than that, but I finally began to see God working in my life again. And when I finally did, I was so glad I hadn’t given up on Him and walked away.

What if your miracle is just days away? What if your loss is paving the way for a miracle in your life and in the life of your family? Could it be that you just need to hold on to hope a few more minutes, a few more hours, a few more days, a few more months or years?

It could be that God is preparing even now to step in and to give you that miracle. So don’t give up. Keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping. Because when God does step in, He could rewrite your story and change the course of history.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my husband’s book, Six Days to Sunday: Turn Your Setbacks into Comebacks and my post: Choosing Hope—The Best is Yet to Come.