Did you know that God never allows any difficulties into our lives just for our benefit only? Over the years I've discovered that He allows hard times into our lives to deepen our faith, our trust in Him, and for the purpose of benefiting and blessing others as well. "He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going … [Read more...]
Birds of the Air
It’s five o’clock in the afternoon. I’m sick and exhausted and stressed to the max. Walking into the bedroom the bed beckons, but the window beyond pulls me like a magnet. The view opens onto several hundred acres of farmland planted each summer in corn or soy. Today, the twelfth of February, fields unfold in winter browns and grays, with rows of corn stubble undulating into the distance. The sun … [Read more...]
One Day at a Time
2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. One Day at a Time. Say it again. One Day at a Time. Say it slower. One- Day- at- a -Time. I think we all need to be reminded of this. As parents of children with unique needs our lives are filled with so … [Read more...]
Fortune Cookie Theology for Parents
I love Chinese Food. Truly I do. White rice or fried rice, hot and sour soup or egg drop, General Tso's chicken or beef with broccoli—it all works for me! But my favorite part of the meal is (by far) at the very end. The fortune cookie. Oh, I know, lots of people think they taste like cardboard and just throw them out. But I can't wait to open one and see what it says inside. Sometimes the sayings … [Read more...]
When The Pain Is Too Much To Bear
The headlights on the road beneath blurred together. I was looking down from the seventh floor at DeVos Children's Hospital in a quiet area for parents. My heart was anything but quiet. Three weeks in ICU had turned my emotions into a paper-thin, fragile thing. Our three-year-old son, Calvin, received a tracheotomy last week to help his collapsing airway after a long bout of illness. We were … [Read more...]
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 43:1b-3 (The Message) Between a rock and a hard place. That’s where my … [Read more...]