Control Relinquished

If you're reading this blog in the state of Pennsylvania, you'll know that we had quite the heat wave this week. It has felt more like the throes of July than our typical autumn September days! Of course, it just so happened that with the week's hot forecast fresh on my mind, I kept waking up Monday night due to an unusual sound coming from our air conditioner...and our house felt hot! Sure enough, by late afternoon on Tuesday, our air conditioner was running constantly and unable to keep the house cool. After a call to our HVAC repairman, we were relieved they could come out Wednesday afternoon. It was very humid Wednesday morning and our thermostat was already climbing to 79* at 8 am, but to our surprise, our "hero" arrived early! A simple part was replaced and life in the heat felt bearable again! Sadly, this experience was yet another humbling reminder that "comfort" is just as much of an idol for me as "control" is. Why is it that feeling

Our world is divisive about many matters, but one thing the human race can probably agree on is that life can be messy and complicated when people are involved! At the beginning of 2023, I committed to reading through the Bible chronologically and God has been opening my eyes to so many new understandings. Within the first few pages of Scripture, and woven throughout the entirety of the nine books I've read so far, we see that evil was consistently present in this world from the day humanity was created. Within my first week of reading, Adam and Eve sinned and were banned from Eden, Cain murdered Abel, the world was destroyed in the flood and evil was consuming Sodom and Gomorrah...wow! Evil, corruption, immorality, disobedience, and lies continue to be a reality for the human race from the start of creation until even now.  But also consistent throughout the Bible is the steady, pursuit of our loving Father. Even in our rebellion, with heartfelt repentance, God continues to forgiv

 A few weeks ago, we were in the midst of some very busy days. It felt like I was constantly on the go, taking our children to their various activities. Busy schedules are depleting for me; I definitely function better when I have time to fully charge in my introverted bubble of home. I was running errands on the road one morning when Joni Eareckson Tada's radio broadcast entitled "Diamonds in the Dust" was a wake-up call. She was referring to the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Joni zoned in on the last fruit. I admit that I typically view self-control as an ability to control oneself, having good behavior and not sinning or self-indulging. But in her broadcast, Joni took it a step further: what if self-control is also about slowing down and saying no to "busyness"? Do I have the self-control to say no and protect the health of myself and my family? It takes a

Detox: The official dictionary definition says, "A process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances." Some of you may have read my blog post a few months ago regarding my health scare. After a few weeks of eating dairy-free, I saw some improvement, but I had a nagging feeling something still wasn't quite right. Plus, who wants to eliminate dairy if they don't have to?! I decided to switch gears and see a highly recommended nutritionist. After months of seeing several doctors with no answers, this doctor was able to find the issue in less than an hour! Surprisingly, I was suffering from an internal fungal infection that was clogging my lymphatic system. After two months of implementing a supplement regimen, and eating more leafy greens and sprouted grains, I am happy to share that I feel even better than "normal"! Another blessing is that I do not have any dairy or food intolerances, so that is a huge reli

 Earlier this week our area was blanketed in a thick fog as I drove my daughter to school. Fog is such a weird sensation! It is difficult to see long-distance, but things can suddenly become clear as you get closer. Everything looks shadowy and our eyes take extra effort to focus on what is in front of us. Only the sun or light can bring clarity to our surroundings. I was reminded that much of life can feel like a fog. We cannot see the future or the end result. Many times we find ourselves blindly clamoring through life, seeking direction, and really only having enough faith to put one step in front of the other. Fog can feel frustrating. We so desperately want to see clearly but have no ability of our own to make the fog disappear. However, the light of the "Son's" rays can push that fog out of the way and bring much-needed clarity.  I was also recently struck by this odd sidewalk that I regularly walk on during my daughter's music lesson. My personality tendencies

Perhaps some of you were wondering why I vanished from blogging. Quite honestly, the past several months have been survival mode for me. I'm still not sure which is worse: an obvious physical ailment or waiting in unknowns with no clear answers. Back in September, I began experiencing some odd and concerning symptoms but pressed on with life, hoping things would resolve on their own. Over the following weeks and months, each morning I never knew if it would be a "normal" day with little pain or a "rest" day with inflammation and swelling. I bounced from doctor to doctor and from test to test. Life suddenly looked different through a lens of doctor appointments, referrals to hematology/oncology, and hearing scary words like lymphoma and sarcoidosis. There were moments when I was confident that God was by my side in the waiting and the pain and there were others where only tears could express how exhausted and scared I really was.  Last week I had yet another doct