Daily Life: Filling the Glass Bowl
A Need Only God Can Meet
Today I read a prayer from Prayers Over Our Children that contains a powerful line. I read this: You purposely created my children with a need that only You can meet. It reminds me that when I’m restless, unsatisfied, or wondering where my joy has gone, I return to the One who can meet that need. I […]
Little Joys
Today, I began collecting little joys. Years ago, I joined a community that challenged one another to record five moments like this each day. For years, I did this, and I return to the practice today. I found a list a student made of new verbs to use. She’s been writing emails to me where […]
There’s This Moment
There’s this moment when you stand in front of the blackberries, gathering them into your hand, and you smell the sticky sweetness of them, and you burst with a thankful heart. You enjoy the taste even though you’ve heard more bad news than a soul can take: accidents and illnesses and even the death of […]
God Answers
I love the statement in Psalm 138 from David: “When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.” God answers when we call. The astonishing fact that God responds to us when we cry out to Him makes my heart sing this morning. It’s a great comfort. It’s a miracle of faith. As we […]
Take My Life and Let It Be: The Story
In church this morning, we sang Frances Havergal’s 1874 hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be.” The lyrics invite surrender of every part of us: our life, our moments, our hands, our feet, our voice, our money, our mind, and our love. She writes: Take my life and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to […]
Goldfinches
“Every day is a good day.”
I ask the cashier if she’s having a good day. She says, “Every day is a good day.” I ask, “How is every day a good day?” She says, “I can maybe be sad about life for an hour. That’s it. Then I decide I have a good life. It’s a good day every day!” […]
Seated and Guarded: Some Back to School Pep Talks
As we prepare for our back to school week, I find myself reminding my daughters–and myself–that we are already seated at the best table with Jesus. We talk about Ephesians 2 because it’s so easy to compare our lives, live with the kind of envy that “rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30), and forget that we […]
A Truly Authentic Moment
I often cry when I read student writing. I really do! When something strikes me as truly authentic–like I’m finally hearing a real voice in that sentence that comes from some honest, true place–I just know it. And I cry. It’s a joyful thing. It’s a moment of recognition of a soul. And it’s rare. […]