Men and women who endure the painful, exhausting, and confusing road of infertility oftentimes find it challenging to explain to others what it feels like. Analogies are a fantastic way to do this! I've always felt that infertility is like a spectator sport -- I feel like I'm in the only one in the bleachers watching everyone play, and I'm unqualified to join the team. This has become my most-pinned post on Pinterest, and I think it's because it's so easy to understand and relate. I called upon 6 of my favorite infertility bloggers to describe what infertility feels like to them. A special thanks to these strong, encouraging, and bold women for contributing their voices to this … [Read more...]
Dear Girl With the Broken Body
Dear Girl with the Broken Body, Our journeys may not look the same, and the pain we experience individually I cannot relate. But I know what it's like to have dreams, ambitions, hopes, desires, and plans that all "fail" because my body won't follow. I understand what it feels like to live with a body that fails daily. I know the pain of watching others who have seemingly well-running bodies live their lives the way I wish mine would. I sympathize with you when others judge, misunderstand, and criticize what you're going through. I know the heartache of hopelessness. I know what it feels like to never see the light. I too have asked God, "Why me?" I too have questioned His … [Read more...]
10 Important Considerations Before Following Jesus
Nine years ago in my early twenties, I would have laughed at the person who’d predict that I’d be an unashamed, enthusiastic, passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Before placing saving faith in Christ as my Lord and Savior, I cherished independence, my sinful lifestyle and pleasures, and everything the world had to offer me without repercussion. When I put my faith in Jesus Christ, my heart changed dramatically, but it wasn’t until I opened my Bible that I understood what it meant to follow him. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus repeatedly commands, “Follow me.” While most of these instances specifically called the 12 men who would become his disciples (Matthew … [Read more...]
Dear America, You’re Ignoring the Real Enemy
Dear America, My heart is saddened in the wake of what we're doing to one another. But I cannot say that I'm surprised. You see, we're deeply rooted in sin and ignoring our Lord -- and that's nothing new. We're impulsively believing and blindly following lies. We're not valuing life as we've been commanded. We're seeing those who are different from us as enemies. And that's what's wrong: We're ignoring the real enemy. We're blindly believing that "they" are the problem. But there is an enemy much greater than those who differ from us racially, sexually, economically, religiously, or politically. It's not a matter of "an" enemy -- it's THE enemy -- singular. Satan, Hebrew for "the … [Read more...]