We may never see the full answer to our prayers, but their blessings may reach far beyond our lifetime. As part of a six-week course I am doing, I was asked to take a test to discover which emotions most strongly drive me. When the results came back, they stopped me in my tracks. The…
Tag: prayer
The Gift of Lament
Sometimes the greatest kindness is allowing someone to be honest about their pain without asking them to find the bright side. I was probably in my early twenties when I read a book that would leave a lasting impression on me. I cannot remember every detail of what was written, but one thought settled so…
The Beauty of Advent
Some things are received more deeply when we make room for them slowly. There is something about Advent that reaches into me very deeply. Every year, when it comes around again, I feel it before I can properly explain it. It comes quietly, like a soft stillness settling over my soul, like the first pale…
We Call on Him
Remembering to turn to God in gratitude is just as important as turning to Him in hardship. For a number of years, Peter and I shared a quiet ritual with our dear friends, Stephen and his late wife Wendy. We each brought a song — something that spoke to us in that season of life…
Road Closed
When life feels overwhelming, faith gives us somewhere safe to rest. On rainy summer days, my mum used to send us children up into the attic. As an adult, I understand why. Ours was only a small cottage, and when rain kept us indoors, we children must have made the walls ring with our noise,…
Hope
Hope is not certainty that life will become easier, but the courage to believe that darkness will not have the final word. Have you ever wondered why, in the very worst moments of human history, hope so often seems to rise most clearly? It is one of life’s great mysteries. In the midst of war,…
