Can you pray for me? How do you respond when someone asks you to pray? I often get requests for me to pray, but I am often not sure what to pray for. Sometimes the need is very clear, but at other times it is vague. They want me to […]
depression
191 posts
I haven’t lived a perfect life and I wonder if my problems are punishment from God, but maybe I don’t know the whole story and that God is overflowingly full of grace and mercy. They wanted retribution. Payback. A desire for revenge coursed through their veins for what had happened […]
We think we can do it all, manage life ourselves, but you simply can’t. You discover you can’t make it on your own. They were told by their closest companion that they should not need others to affirm them. That they should be able to do it themselves. They should […]
Midst the struggle you wonder about the plans God has for you. I thought it was all about prosperity, but this is far from that. Some things don’t make sense. It wasn’t meant to be like this. I didn’t see this as my future. How did I get here? Questions […]
Trouble comes. It’s nothing new, but we have the assurance of others, so we hold on tight and ride our way through it. You can see it coming. You’re sailing along. Life seems to be going along ok, but out on the horizon, you can see a storm. You know […]
When you’re depressed or in a psychotic crisis, it’s normal to believe our negativity is everything there is, but the power of love and light is a constant we can tap into. Guest post by Sónia Monteiro Pop culture immortalized this sequence of words that gives title to at least two […]
Taking absolute responsibility for your actions can be overwhelming, but hope can be restored when absolute forgiveness is offered. I don’t like it, and I’m sure you don’t either. It’s when you’re confronted with something you have done wrong. You want to run; you want to hide. Perhaps you make excuses, blame […]
Events happen in life, and we can get controlled by the lies we believe as truth, but there is hope. It is a memory seared into my brain. I’m at an age now I can’t remember what I had for breakfast, but this is among those memories that I doubt […]
There are times when I have doubts. I question God, and I wonder. But over the years, I have built up a memorial of stones that reassure my soul. I have questions. I have doubts. Places in my thinking where I question what I have taken to be true. Evidence […]
We retain them. All the hurts and pains of life, but what if we could forgive and let them go? Perhaps then we could dance freely and lightly. It’s so easy to do. Holding on to the hurt others have done. The brain seems to retain it, keeping it and […]
Turmoil – a state of unease, disquiet, and storm, but what if you weren’t alone in that drowning boat? We need a confidant to share the storm with. Often people say that life is like a rollercoaster ride. Ups and downs, highs and lows. But I think life is more […]
The tears start to form and flow, but who will wipe away my tears? A soft and gentle hand comes with tenderness to the pain. I could feel them start to congregate right in the corners of my eyes. They were coming together, and I had no control over them. […]
It’s a human experience to know the trauma of falling into the hands of robbers and thieves, but there is one who joins us in our ditch. I was robbed a few years ago. I had parked my truck in a parking lot and had gone into a shop to […]
What’s your shape? I’m not talking about your body shape, i.e., weight, tall, thin, short, or wide. I’m more interested in who you are under the skin. What has happened to shape you into the person you are? What is your personality like? What do you like to eat? Favorite […]
We all have lines around us. Mostly invisible. People cross the lines, and we are hurt, but we also cross the lines of others. The line had been crossed so many times that they were losing their own personal identity. Bullies, thugs, robbers, and thieves had crossed over into their […]
One tough moment after another can bring you to the question, ‘Does God hate me’? But I want to know more, so I sit with those at the coal face and grow in my knowing. No one knows coal like a coal miner. I could go to a scientist and […]
Ever found yourself in a dark place? A simple state of sadness can throw you in such a place. At least l experience that often. I used to be depressed, severely depressed, the kind of state that makes it hard for facial muscles to react to other people’s joyful interaction. […]
Sometimes you can feel like you are a problem to be fixed, but you’re not that. You may have problems, but not a problem. You’re not a problem to be fixed. Neither are you a personality to be probed. You’re not a diagnosis, a number, or a category. You may […]
Fear can be like a shadow creeping up and over you, but what do you fear the most? Understanding what you fear the most can bring assurance. It was a simple wire bridge on a confidence course. Not very high, the three-wire bridge was a challenge for some and not […]
Sighs and groans can come with such ease, but inhaling is also necessary. So we take note of our diet of breath. ‘That was a deep sigh,’ he said to me. I hadn’t noticed it, but he was right. I had let out a long deep sigh into the safety […]