WOMEN'S MINISTRIES BLOG

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look,      and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it,      and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jer. 6:16) Stand and look. Ask. Walk and find rest. They seem like straightforward commands with a beautiful promise. Stand by the roads—by the place of…

For a few weeks now, my neighbor has been digging in her yard. Not the normal kind of spring gardening and planting of things, but the kind of digging that has her shoes muddy and her grass looking like the surface of the moon. I started to notice Maria was spending most of her spare time in the yard, suited up to attack what lay under the surface.

She had her arms up around her head, shielding her face. A teenager, angsty, probably with a bad attitude a lot of the time, but now she was experiencing the frustration of two of her “friends” yelling and hitting at her.

My favorite gift this past Christmas came from my husband Jim—a small, beautifully wrapped box under the tree. When I went to open it, Jim raised his eyebrows, “That’s from me?”

Our rose bushes just underwent January’s annual massive pruning, but the last of their blooms, rescued from cut-off branches, are in a vase beside me. They’re delightfully fragrant.

Silence. 

My house sits between two schools and for years on the first day of summer vacation a transformation has taken place in front of my house.

As we sit on the precipice of a new year, it’s okay to admit that we have hopes for something new to emerge. It feels a bit like we are insecurely staring at the calendar as it flips. What would we say if we could look 2021 in the eye and make it answer a few questions to satisfy our curiosity?

Waiting. More often than not, it’s a negative thing. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. Think about the sayings:

“The wait is finally over.” (Waiting must be excruciating.)
“What are you waiting for?” (Waiting is cowardly.)
“Good things come to those who wait.” (Your discomfort will eventually pay off.)

The season of Advent is something I look forward to every year. I love the idea of a seemingly overwhelming celebration being broken into weekly or daily contemplation.

Gratitude is pretty en vogue these days. Whether it comes up during a podcast, is mentioned at the end of an exercise class or engraved on a bracelet, the word itself is even hard to avoid!