I want to start this post by pointing out that nowhere in the Bible does it say that we need to take our emotions captive. And yet, the scripture that tells us to take our thoughts captive is often misinterpreted to mean just that. The reason why lies in the fact that we are rarely taught to differentiate our emotional life from our thought life. Though they are two sides to our soulish coin, the difference between thoughts and feelings is profound. You see, we don’t choose our emotions. We can choose what we do with them, but emotions arise…
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I learned to escape into false refuges early on into my first marriage. My first marriage taught me that I couldn’t trust God. After all, I prayed for my ex-husband extensively and nothing ever happened. He must be one of the most prayed for humans on the planet since my mother spent a lot of her prayer time having a go at him as well. Because my prayers didn’t work and God did not change my ex from a narcissistic abuser into a good guy, I lost my trust in a God who changed people. I didn’t pray for people…
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For most people, vulnerability is not the first word that comes to their mind when they think about God. Usually, people go one of two directions: theological or personal. The theologically minded say words like omnipotent and omniscient. Those who take a more personal route to God say words like loving, good, and grace. But for me, as I move in a direction ever closer to Him, I am regularly astonished by His vulnerability. Genesis leads with God crafting a world and then humans made in His image to live in it. Not as dolls in an elaborate dollhouse or…