When I hear Jacob tell my father how much he loves my sister, my heart sinks. I’m second place because of my sister’s good looks. Passing by, I can’t help but notice the twinkle in their eyes as they hold each other in their gaze. Him, tall and ruddy; her, bright and curvy. I couldn’t possibly feel any more plain or invisible. I almost choke when my father wants me to slip me into Jacob’s tent and marry him secretly. What a horrible trick. Am I that ugly that I need to lower myself like this? I do as he …
Redeeming Sensitivity
Susan Delaney was mad at herself. After a misunderstanding with her coworker, she willed her voice and face to stay intact. But she lost the battle. As she stood in his office, her eyes misted and her lips quivered. With no turning back, she wondered, will he understand? In light of his knowledge about her current stress, she guessed yes. When she first got the job, Dan reminded her of a father-like figure. A whole lot better than her father, actually. “Are you trying to manipulate me?” The question jolted her, cutting deeper. She last heard it from the lips …
Touching Invisible Places
To be loved and understood is the cry of the human heart. Someone knows you inside in out, remembers what you’ve been through, and how it affects you today. He hears your silent prayers, and knows when your cherished dreams are dashed against a rock. At a women’s missions event this summer, a woman from the next table motioned me over. She was crying. She told me she’d just read “In Tune” from one of the postcard poems I’d placed on each table. I learned that the woman propped up in a wheelchair beside her was her daughter. She had …
Jesus and Your Cell Phone
How many times has someone tried to call you and your phone was dead? Worse yet, how many times have you tried calling someone and their phone was dead? It’s easy to ignore the warning beeps, let your phone slip past its last notch into sudden deadness. How many times do we ignore God’s beeps and warnings? We scurry here and there, hardly uttering a word to the King other than, “please make the light turn green,” and we wonder why we’re empty and dry. Someone please give me a boost! There’s only one thing we can always do when we’re …
Pregnant with Empathy
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Isaiah 53:3 Hundreds of years B.C., the prophet Isaiah predicted Christ’s gruesome suffering. Unlike Christ, we humans rarely choose pain. We flee from it. Mothers accept pain to produce children, but have you ever noticed pain doesn’t stop then? Physical pain turns emotional when our beloved children make poor and costly decisions according to their “free will.” Jesus was pregnant with this type of pain as He gazed over the city, crying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to …
I AM with You
I squeeze this verse for comfort. Fear’s a menace to my mind. I’m no stranger to its power; Fierce, it lies me down half-bind. I’m no stranger to My Savior, whose right hand upholds me tight. As I grope for hope, half-doubting, trusted Love remakes me light. “Why are you downcast, O my soul? … Put your hope in God” Psalm 42:11 Talked to your soul, lately? David needed to remind himself that his loving, Sovereign God was with him. God wants you to know He’s with you too: I’m with you on the operating table. I’m with you in …
Divine Presence
In whirlwinds of confusion when cold questions press you tight, ask Me close and I will hold you by a love surpassing sight. You’re my treasure, bright with promise, and I live to see you reign. As we cross this bridge together, I will lead you through your pain.
When Life Falls Apart
Struck by dread and endless questions, in the thick of instant night, tears and fears consume me empty, shred my grit to stick the fight.