Blooming Insights: Navigating Life’s Thorny Paths Amongst Beautiful Roses
As I prepared these orange roses for the vase I’d assign them as their home, I was surprised when I was pricked by their thorns. …
love
Unmasking Bias: The “Challenge” of a Two-Syllable Name
Joval. “Joval, like my parents Joel and Valerie.”
There’s misunderstanding. And then there’s this. Contempt. Disdain. Bias. Discrimination. Hatred rolls off their lips as they insist on mispronouncing my name.
From Self Doubt to Divine Truth: A Letter Across Time
For people who play too small, you will always be too much. Too sensitive. Too smart. Too bold. Too courageous. Too much of everything they think they aren’t, but simply don’t know they are. And it’s not your problem to correct. It’s not your concern. Your only concern is God. And in him, you are. You’re only concern is you. Not selfishly, but lovingly. Love your neighbors as yourself. Patiently and kindly.
Just Because They Did Doesn’t Mean You Have To, Too
Just because they hurt you doesn’t mean you need to hurt yourself, too. Just because their love hurt doesn’t mean you need to hurt yourself in the name of love, too. That isn’t love. It’s “love”. It’s struggle love. Hurt love. Harmful love. It’s love from someone who didn’t learn how to truly love themselves, but it’s the love they know to give.
Creating a Safe Place to Rest
Surrender and generosity are play cousins, aren’t they? Surrender. The world whirls in my mouth like java chip ice cream melting on my tongue on a hot summer day. This word keeps coming up for me. Over and over and over. And I’m so grateful.
“Spiritual Chiropractic”
“Spiritual chiropractic.” Small change, big impact. I have a chiropractor and she’s sent directly from the heavens. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her …
When Words Wound: How Criticism Becomes Cynicism and Love Heals
A few things before we get started I wrote this as a post-script but needed this to be a pre-script in case you didn’t make …
Traumatic. Trauma. Shame. Forgiveness. Love. Wholeness. Completion. God.
Being is an action. And sometimes– okay, oftentimes– I forget that being is work. It is action, after all. And I am God in action when I work. I am God in action when I am being.
Time Like Water
“Love, like water, always finds a way.” I remember a pastor preaching that 13 years ago. I won’t ever forget that line. Sometimes, time feels …
They Want A Piece of Me
People want a piece of me and when I tell them they can’t have a piece, they call me selfish. People want a piece of …