Contemplating Life

Have you ever had someone repeat something you said out of context? Or just simply twist your words altogether to fit their scenario? Or has someone, without knowing the truth, assigned intentions to your actions that simply were not who you are or what you desire? If you have, then like me, you know what a terrible experience it is. It is exhausting and spirit zapping. I have been through it many times, as have some I love, and I am holding close to someone who is currently enduring the process. To be so maligned by an enemy is one thing – to be maligned in this way by someone you love deeply can be devastating. When something like this happens to you, your thinking begins to center around the question “How do I handle this?” Do I try to talk to the person who is disseminating the false information, to clear the air and ask ‘why’? Do I stand up for myself in a public way so that the people listening in will stop believing the lie? Do I ask others who know the truth to step into the

  Happy New Year (a few days late)! There is something about a new year that can be exciting. A brand new calendar hangs on the wall, full of possibilities to fill its squares. The beginning of a new year feels almost like a “do over” – I get to try again to do better. In reality, when we are in Christ, EVERY MORNING is a new beginning because scripture tells us in Lamentations 3:22-23 “The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” God is such a God of love, such a God of faithfulness, that every morning is a “do over”. His mercy is there to forgive us yesterday; His Presence is there to walk with us through a new day as we try harder to be the children of the Kingdom we are called to be. He is the God of new beginnings. I’ve spent the last few days looking back at 2022 and reflecting on 2023. 2022, like every year (every day really) had its deep pains and real victories. Life is just a constant