163 results for tag: Ashlee
He Meets Me
In the drawer of my nightstand you will find a copy of The Power of a Praying Wife. I have been praying through one topic from this book before I go to sleep each night as a way to make spiritual deposits in my marriage. A few nights ago, I prayed these words over my husband: “May Your presence be like a delicacy he never ceases to crave.” For the past several days I have not been able to get that sentence out of my mind. Something about those words have been touching a very raw part of my heart.
I realized this morning that amidst the bustle of my everyday life, I often push aside the delicacy of Christ’s presence and settle for feeding on all ...
Joy Comes in the Morning
Often I feel as though my outside and inside are experiencing a considerable disconnect. Underneath the clean house, washed hair, completed tasks, and plastered smile is concealed irritations, guarded insecurities, hushed up disappointment, and a near constant battle to truly believe that God is enough in the midst of my suffering.
But I shrug off this glaring inconsistency in my own life because I see you there too. In fact, I think that’s where most of us are dwelling. Shoveling on smiles to cover the ache inside. Labeling ourselves as “fine” and “good” when asked how we are doing—as if those words will serve to patch up our brokennes...
Blessed Are the Meek
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
-Matthew 5:5
Meekness is a trait that isn’t always considered very attractive in the context of our current culture. We often think of meekness as being synonymous with feeble character, week-mindedness, or a spirit of constant compromise. If this is what Christ meant by meekness, it’s hard to imagine how such a person could be considered blessed, let alone inherit the earth.
Thankfully, God provides us with examples of meekness in Scripture that we can learn from. So, in order for us to accurately discern this beatitude, we must seek to understand meekness in a biblical ...
The Gift of Intimacy with Christ
“Oh, this thing of keeping in constant touch with God, of making Him the object of my thoughts and the companion of my conversations, is the most amazing thing I ever ran across. Now I like the Lord’s presence so much that when for a half hour or so He slips out of my mind—as He does many times a day—I feel as thought I had deserted Him, and as though I had lost something very precious in my life.”
-Frank Laubach
I stumbled across this quote the other day and was reminded of how incompletely I know God and the fullness of His presence. I want it to be so clearly evident in my life that I know God. I yearn for my knowledge of God to be ...
A Prayer for the One Who is Afraid
The death of a child goes against the natural rhythms of life. Parents should not outlive their children. There is just something so incomprehensible about the sight of a tiny coffin at a funeral, the stillborn body of an infant, or a silent, motionless ultrasound screen. In these moments, there is something inside all of us that screams, "This is not right! This is not how things are supposed to be!"
When my son's heart stilled while his precious body was cradled within me, there wasn't a category in my mind to process this unimaginable grief. I was now living a horrible reality, the possibility of which I had never conceived for myself. The ...
Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit
In Matthew chapter 5, we find at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount a portion of His teaching that is commonly referred to as “The Beatitudes.” Over the next several weeks, we will be studying this passage of Scripture together as we seek to understand what it looks like for us to aspire to live in such a way as the following verses describe.
“Seeing the crowds, He [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
...
Comfort For Hope Siblings: God Cares About Your Tears
Dear one, the loss of your sibling is such a tremendous burden for you to carry. The heaviness of loss has deeply affected you, even though you do not fully understand this grief. Death is still such an illusive and incomplete concept in your young mind. How can I help you understand?
These are heavy days for you. I wish I could shield you from the grief that fills our home.
There may be days when you feel unseen. As we all work through the loss of our precious baby in different ways, your own grief may not always be recognized. I am so sorry. I wish I knew how to help you navigate this sorrow more fully.
But even when you feel unseen, I want ...
A Prayer for the One Who Is Weary
The loss of a child is a heavy burden filled with so much complexity. The multifaceted intersections of grief often fill us with a weariness that is felt in the deepest recesses of our souls—emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical weariness. No part of us is left untouched.
Maybe today, the weariness in you is manifested in a struggle to get out of bed or perform simple tasks around the house. Perhaps you are experiencing a mental fog that leaves you hardly able to focus on anything. You might find yourself opening up your Bible to spend time with the Lord, only to wonder if you even have the energy to engage with Scripture because, in this ...
New Year, Renewed Hope
There is no circumstance in life in which placing your hope in Christ is not relevant. There is no valley so low that His light cannot penetrate. Even in the dark night of grief we can choose to make much of the Lord. We can be resolved to lift Him high. Tomorrow we will wake to the start of a brand new year, and this reality is often accompanied by the idea of a fresh start. We make lists of the ways we’d like to grow or change and make plans to implement new habits, learn new skills, or embrace new experiences.
Often, these resolutions are driven by a desire for self-improvement. But what if this year we allowed our resolutions to be rooted in a ...
Hymns of Hope: Joy to the World
When it seems as though the whole world is intent on joyful celebrations, Christmas movie marathons, winter wonderlands, and gift exchanges, it can be hard to imagine how your grief fits into all of the merriment around you. But one thing we often forget in all of the holiday bustle is that the Christmas story is intertwined with sorrow. God's people had endured years of oppression and hardship and 400 years of silence from God. They were under Roman occupation and longed for the coming of the Messiah that had been promised long ago. Jesus was coming to a burdened, waiting, and hurting people. Even the magnificence of the birth of Christ was tinged ...
