Be careful when you ask God to use you. Don’t just declare and say, “Oh God! USE ME!!” See, because when you offer yourself up to be used by God, for God, through God, you’re going to hurt like He hurt. You’re going to be scorned like He was scorned. You’ll be put down and…

Here’s the thing...we aren’t supposed to hurt out loud or in the open. We live in a world where polished perfection is in high demand- hide your hurts in the folds of your dress and perfectly curled hair. Don’t make a mess with your mistakes, don’t let anyone see if you struggle. Hide it. Fake…

5 years. 1,826 days. 43,824 hours. 2,629,440 minutes. That's the nearly the difference in time between these two pictures. In that endless (yet instant) space of time there have been countless tears, belly laughs, sick days, date nights, Emmy worthy tantrums, moments of pride, meltdowns, epic firsts and heart breaking lasts. I've been blessed to…

What is it about the ancient things that draws us to them? The nostalgia of black and white photos is so alluring, so unreachable yet somehow so familiar. I look into the eyes of those who came before me and see the hopes and dreams I dare not deny, yet I cannot fully know them.…

Once upon a time, there was this girl. Not very big at all, a tiny little thing really. She had an attitude, and a spirit nobody could break. She was tough, and attacked each new day without fear. What she lacked in size, she made up for in heart. She was fearless, reckless and just…

Forgiveness. My goodness, what a heavy word this can be...but also a word that can make us feel as if a weight has been lifted off our shoulders. It has the power to free us from pain, anger, bitterness and hatred. I guess you could call it "freegiveness" if you wanted to. Several years ago,…

Patience. I struggle with it. Hard. I'm not a very graceful person when I know there's a mountain of things to be done and the one thing keeping me from it just won't move! I like to have my hands set firmly around the helm of my day so I can accomplish everything I set out…

Dear You, I see how hard you're trying. I know how much it hurts. I want you to know, I know you're not okay. I know it's taking every ounce of your ability to not collapse in a heap of anger, tears and sorrow. I know you want to quit. You want to throw your…