The statement still echoed in my head years later. “You can’t please God,” the pastor had told me. This was during a conversation about the tenants of faith. I was being interviewed to make sure I understood the fundamentals of the church’s doctrine before my baptism the following week. But I was confused. Somehow, the pieces didn’t quite fit together, and although I was sprinkled with water the next Sunday, it was years before God’s character was explained in a way that made me want to stay Continue Reading
Hope for When Your Spiritual Life Feels Dry
“I’m hugging God,” my daughter said with a smile. “He’s hugging me, too, I think.” My daughter was five at the time, and she wrapped her arms around her tiny frame as she snuggled in her bed. Her face was the perfect picture of contentment. I knelt beside her and said a bedtime prayer, amazed at her childlike faith. “He is hugging you,” I said as I walked toward the door. And I believed it. But even as I said it, I longed to feel His presence like my 5-year-old did. For months, I’d felt Continue Reading
3 Sure Ways to Care for a Heart That’s Hurting
It happened so fast that I wasn’t prepared for it. Instinct told me to guard my heart, but the damage was already done. A text conversation with a family member had opened an old wound. One I thought had healed, but the scar remained. I sat in the recliner for several minutes recounting the words, trying to make sense of my emotions. But the more I tried to explain my feelings, the more I realized I needed to bring them to God. Have you ever been there? You open up to someone and let him or Continue Reading
