Reflections on the Journey
Shadow and Light
When I was a child, it seemed sun-drenched, joy-filled days often stretched out before me like an opera-length strand of exquisite pearls. My family encountered problems and worries like any other family, but my parents were careful to shield my sisters and me from many of the particular details of their adult concerns. In keeping with the simplistic, ego-centric organization so typical of a...
Ancient Words to Help Us Stop Worrying
This past year has offered us plenty to worry about. The threat of COVID-19 has moved in closer as friends and family members have fallen ill, and in some cases lost their lives, to this strange new virus. The pandemic has interrupted our businesses, churches, social activities, and academic life.
Suite d’espoir, Winter 2
We are partakers in the mystery of life, not controllers of it. Extended seasons of waiting can silently erode our hope. Our hearts ache for change—in the world, in a loved one, in ourselves—and yet life remains frozen in the same familiar places. Life doesn’t always give us exactly what we want or long for, but accepting what can’t be changed is the first step to finding a new hope....
Suite d’espoir, Winter 1
I’ve been thinking a lot about HOPE this year. For obvious personal reasons and for shared national and global ones. Turning the word over again and again, a question emerged—how is HOPE different from trust? Is HOPE just trust with a dose of optimism thrown in for good measure?
How to Handle Fear in Managing Your Child’s T1D
When my son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age five, I thought the greatest fear in managing my child's T1D would be injecting him with insulin. I would soon discover there were far greater fears awaiting me as his caregiver. “What if his blood sugar drops precipitously low while I’m sleeping?” “What if I can’t control his ketones and blood sugars when he has a stomach...
How to Build Our Faith in Times of Suffering
I’ve been thinking a lot about the condition of my faith in times of suffering. Pandemics that demand we shelter at home can make one do that. While I may still nod affirmatively that I trust God is in control and I’m committed to following him, I can also be tempted to move aggressively outward or dangerously inward during challenging times. Both of these responses to trials—getting angry or...
