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Walking the Plank
Transition throws me for a loop every time – silly, of course. We all know that the only constant in life is change. But somehow my longing for comfort and control gets me to settle into a place with a deep, satisfying sigh. Close my eyes. Take a break from watchfulness. Then everything tips and I find myself rolling sideways, stumbling down a new ramp of transition. Looking for a new normal. Some transitions are instantaneous. In 2003 my husband collapsed on his favorite street in San Diego, Shelter Island Drive, just outside the bank. From that moment on, he never drove his truck, never wrote a check, dialed a…
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Singles Survival Guide to the Holidays
Singles need love this holiday season. The month before I met my husband Marc was the loneliest month ever. I hated the thought of spending one more holiday season alone. After spending almost my entire twenties single, December and I did not get along. That is why I am excited to announce I will be on the board for ChristianMingle in 2014. I look forward to encouraging many singles who feel like they have lost hope in finding a godly mate. If you are or were anything like me–singleness has a tendency to wear on you (especially during the holidays). Between the dinners, party hopping, and family events, it can be quite…
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How to Love Your Body Through the Holidays
[Guest Post by Rebekah Snyder – We tend to judge our bodies most during the holidays. It’s supposed to be a time to celebrate with family and friends, so why are we so quick to judge ourselves and weigh ourselves? Maybe it’s because we eat too much. Maybe it’s because we can’t help but enjoy those Christmas cookies or Thanksgiving turkey. No matter what happens this holiday season, I hope you are able to stay focused on how to love your body. No matter your body type. Because your body is good! Right, Rebekah?] Please don’t judge me for my skinny body. “Oh my gosh, Rebekah, you are sooo skinny!” She said…
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The Daily Struggle With Anxiety
[Guest Post by Angela McNeil – My friend has been through so much and I always appreciate when she shares parts of her story because I just know it will encourage at least one person.] Most of my childhood memories are of my sick mother working 2-3 jobs, and my dad sitting in his Lazy boy recliner. Starting at the age of 8, I picked up most of the chores around the house like cleaning and cooking, while my father sat in his recliner drinking a beer or a Jack n Coke. I remember one day my mom was in tears. My father was arrested for stealing drugs from the…
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Mental Health Boot Camp
[Guest Post by Anonymous – My heart goes out to people who feel like they have to hide their story. Obviously it’s a good thing to protect your child(ren) or family, but I hope this person’s courage will help you find true healing in Christ.] As a mom with a physical chronic condition I am familiar with the complexities of having a demanding disease. I have long admitted that although I could see how God has worked through my physical ailment, I still did not understand mental illness. It was a world I had not been a participant of, a language I did not speak. And then my young sons’s struggles…
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Clinical Depression: From Curse to Blessing
[Guest Post by Celine Diaz – I always appreciate it when when people are brave enough to come forward and share their story. Here’s Celine’s story. Be encouraged.] I could hardly recognize myself. I had gone from a spirited 19 year old, passionate and ambitious, on fire with life and always progressing, to a paralyzed, immobile wraith, numb to joy, and suddenly so fearful and exhausted that I lapsed into inactivity. I hid from my loved ones, locking myself up in shame, afraid of dragging others down with my low mood. I was like a flower that had been cut from its roots: devoid of vibrancy and life, now wilted,…
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Panic Attacks: My Fight Against Fear
[Guest Post by Dr. Gail Bones – We met through our mutual friend and mentor Pam Farrel. I appreciate Gail for her heart of integrating ministry between older women and younger women. Also, this is an excerpt from her new book that JUST RELEASED this month on Living Cross Wise. Hope you are encouraged!!] I’d just put my baby down for a nap when a tsunami of irrational dread and fear swept over me. A feeling of impending doom, accompanied by a terrifying sense of unreality took hold, and my heart began to pound. As the room spun, a suffocating panic gripped me. My mind raced to find an explanation…
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The Pit of Depression
[Guest Post by Amy Schaffner – This post is for anyone, like Amy, who has ever felt trapped in the pit of depression. Be encouraged.] There is a pit of depression that I sometimes desire to fall into. The lure can sometimes be so overwhelming that I don’t know how to combat it. The days that nothing seems to go my way, when I my body feels like an 80 year old woman, when the kids just won’t stop yelling, my bed calls to me. Tears call to me. Do I like this? No. Is it my personality to battle this daily? Yes. For the longest time I thought struggling with depression…
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Life, life, and more life
[Guest Post by Wendy van Eyck – When my good friend from South Africa told me that she published her first book–Life, life, and more life–AND is giving it away for free at ilovedevotionals.com, I asked her to share with us. Enjoy and be encouraged.] How God found me in my darkest time I was 21 when I realized that I did not want to kill myself anymore. After months of struggling with depression the darkness was beginning to lift. For months my soul had been in a place where light didn’t penetrate and I couldn’t see hope. When I was growing up–blowing bubbles, climbing jungle gyms and jumping on…
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Mental Illness Does Not Define You
Over the years I have learned a very important lesson that mental illness does not define me. It does not define you either. Yes! There are days, weeks, months, and even years when it doesn’t feel that way–but it’s true. Pastor Rick Warren said in a recent sermon, “Your [mental] illness is not your identity, your chemistry is not your character.” That quote means even more when you realize he has lived it. His son Matthew recently took his life. He was only 27 and struggled with mental illness his whole life. I highly recommend that you watch the video sermon in its entirety here. I wanted to share the 6…
