#thewilderness #suffering #christianliving #chronicillness If you are at least twenty years old, you have probably heard of “Footprints.” There are shorter and longer versions, but the one on my dresser reads like this: “A man dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. He noticed two sets of footprints. However, during the saddest times in his life, there was only one set of footprints. He questioned the Lord about this: ‘I don’t understand why when I needed you mo

(Originally published February 25, 2020) #identity #suffering #death Lately, I’ve been struggling with me. Who I am. Where I’m going. What has happened to me in the past. It swirls around in my head like a maelstrom, capturing my attention when I’m cooking dinner, watching Netflix, or lying in bed trying to fall asleep. It’s been about fifteen months now since I unexpectedly had to quit my work as a psychologist due to the sudden onset of chronic illness. In that time, I’ve h

#suffering #euthanasia #chronicillness #faith (Originally published July 5, 2020) I never thought I’d write about euthanasia. Honestly, the topic has always made me exceedingly uncomfortable. I am firmly pro-life, but I have always felt far less strongly about euthanasia than about the importance of providing for refugees or the need to care for women and their unborn children. Euthanasia has always been, for me, an issue rather too close to home. Both my remaining grandparen

#suffering #joyeverafter (Originally published March 19, 2021) Some of my friends jokingly call me the Disney Princess. Few can recite Disney movies as readily as I can (I also do a rather good Korg voice, if I do say so myself). I love fairy tales. I’m also a hopeless romantic. When I was a young adult, I read Veronica Roth’s book Allegiant (the final instalment of her dystopian trilogy, which began with Divergent). If you’ve read that book (they never quite got around to ma

#fear #anxiety #suffering #theanxietymanifesto #christianliving (Originally published September 1, 2020) Today, I'm afraid. I fear that the pursuit of happiness has left its strongest athletes floundering, wondering how they can possibly complete the race. I fear we have become a generation that cancels people, not ideas. I fear we oscillate between loving ourselves too much and not loving ourselves enough. I fear we are so desperate to find the right person that we forget to

#suffering #grace #christianliving #lifeinthewilderness (Originally published February 4, 2020) “If you take this away, God, imagine how much more I could do for you this week.” I catch myself praying this prayer at least every second day. Oh, sometimes it’s not in so many words. It could be as simple as: “God, if you give me some more energy, I’ll go talk with that person.” “God, take away this splitting headache, and I’ll be a less grumpy wife today.” Or the good old-fashio