Thankful? Or Thankful It’s Over?
Are you thankful for Christmas? Or are you thankful it’s over? I’ve been asking that question and found a correlation: On one hand: The more we get caught up in or feel pressured to buy presents, put up decorations, or perform Christmas-related activities like feasts and card sending, the more thankful we are when it’s over. (Some of us enjoy these things, and the rest of us are blessed to receive. I’m just talking about those who feel caught up or pressured.) On the other hand: The more we choose to ignore what pressures us and instead keep things simple…
When Someone I Care for is Deeply Hurt
When someone I care for is deeply hurt: I feel their pain with them. I feel burning anger. I weep from the depth of my gut. I speak encouragement at some points, and keep my mouth shut at others. I hug—a lot, whether in person or in my heart. And we do not need to hear the bumper-sticker platitude that “Everything has a purpose.” If that’s true, some things have an evil purpose, authored by the devil. And other things happen out of human fallenness, chance, heredity, or laws of physics. And a few things we just don’t understand until…