• Anxiety - Fear - Forgiveness - Heart

    Why Offering Forgiveness is Terrifying

    - By 

    Grudges are somewhat satisfying.  They are weapons we keep to remind us of our own superiority.  We pull them up at convenient moments and use them like baseball bats to remind others and ourselves that while we may have done a, b, or c, at least we haven’t done x, y, or z.  A good grudge can keep a game of one-upmanship going for years.  But for those of us who would like to let bygones be bygones, or whose conscience reminds us that grudges are not a part of an abundant life in Christ, the nitty gritty of forgiveness…

  • forgive
    Forgiveness - Heart

    How to Forgive and Let Go in Five Steps

    - By 

    When I was a child, the rule was that if someone apologized for taking your toy or pulling your hair, you had to forgive them.  And generally, the ability to forgive comes easily at five years old or perhaps being easily distracted serves the same purpose. I had unfortunate friends at age five, ones who delighted in teasing me or ditching me on the playground. Every time they came back, needing a third at jump rope or hide and seek, I forgave all. I was more relieved at not being alone than angry at being mistreated. This pattern reasserted itself…

  • abuse
    abuse - abuser - Abusive Parenting

    Child Abuse: How God Healed a Tragic Story

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    Abuse has effects that can take years to heal if they ever do. I know that for, me, healing from abuse has taken quite a journey of searching. And so I have a confession to make. Good stories make me weep. At the movies, I am a crier. My healing journey from abuse has made me susceptible to emotions of all kinds. My kids like to watch me watch a movie. They nudge their elbow into each other’s sides and nod their heads in my direction the moment a tear starts to slip down my cheek.  I hold off as…