I thought self-doubt was normal. You know what I mean? You grow up and along the way you realize you’re not perfect. Less than. Unworthy. Why? Because school teaches you that. And sometimes parents tell you that. Or friends. Or enemies. Or all of the above. And self-doubt arrives and takes up permanent residence in your head. Maybe you can’t. As …
In Others’ Words: The Good God
Words are powerful. Actions are powerful. And then there are the times that a person speaks and acts … and his life changes another person in unimaginable ways, for years to come. Earlier this week, Ann Voskamp shared the story of Maximilian Kolbe, who sacrificed his life in Auschwitz for another prisoner. And yes, reading his story was profound. But …
In Others’ Words: Lesson Learned
I thought it would be fun to talk about lessons learned this week. I could share about learning the lesson “Don’t try to get up and walk around when your foot is completely numb” — yeah, still recovering from that lesson. But it’s Friday. And this quote from Larry King struck home in a “Huh. Ain’t that the …
In Others’ Words: Unexpected Setbacks
This is not the blog post I expected to write. Of course, things kind of spun out of my control yesterday. And there’s the truth of it: I made the mistake of thinking I had the day all under control, hemmed in, thanks to my all powerful To Do list. Yeah, that’ll do it. My plans for yesterday: write, write, …
In Others’ Words: Pick Your Size
Perspective is a valuable commodity. The challenge is, perspective is earned — through trial and error. Over time. You experience enough life, you gain clearer perspective. When you’re younger, life can be all about the big happiness: a birthday Christmas turning 13 … or 16 … or 18 … or 21 buying your first car sharing your first kiss …
In Others’ Words: Already Loved
When I read this quote, I knew I wanted to share it on my blog sometime soon. It’s one of those “etch it in stone” kind of quotes. The truth is so important you don’t want to forget it . . . and yet, we do, on a daily basis. We forget we’re already loved. (Jer. 31:3 NIV) We forget …
In Others’ Words: Bend Not Break
I have had my heart broken … and I am thankful for it — now. In the breaking, I found both my weakness and my strength. No one else broke my heart. I did that. Yes, someone’s actions hurt me deeply, but it was my actions — my reactions — that caused my heart to crack. To crumble. To break. Instead …
In Others’ Words: Wrestling Match
It’s not a question of if we’re going to face suffering. It’s not even a question of when or what kind of suffering we’re going to experience. In the end, it comes down to this: Who is going to win the wrestling match? The suffering? Or you? When I first began to wrestle with the stark reality of abuse in my …
In Others’ Words: No, You’re Not
I do not like name tags. You know those sticky little squares that with the printed pronouncement, “Hello, my name is . . . ” Yeah. I don’t like them at all. I don’t even like name tags when you dress ’em up and put them in plastic protective covers. They annoy me. Besides a person’s first and last name, name …
In Others’ Words: Riches or Poverty
I can calculate my wealth by pennies, nickles, dimes, quarters, pesos, liras, euros, shekels . . . you get the idea. And sometimes I’ve done just that: looked at the balance in my checking account or my savings account — perhaps both — and decided whether I had enough to be grateful for. I can assure you, there were many …