On my last trip home, my suitcase came back with a crack. It wasn’t completely broken, but it was enough for me to worry about whether it would make it through the next trip. Before I headed back, I put some heavy-duty glue into the crack. Then I did it again. And again. I wasn’t…
Category: pains
Not Mine to Carry
There are things in life that hurt us in ways we never expected. Sometimes it is something someone did. Sometimes it is something they failed to do. Sometimes it is a loss, a disappointment, an unanswered prayer, a relationship that changed, an opportunity that disappeared, or simply the painful realization that life did not turn…
Come and See
There is something about the story of the Samaritan woman that I keep coming back to. Jesus knew where He was going. He knew Samaria. He knew the woman He would meet there. He knew her story before she ever stood at that well. And still, He went. He didn’t meet her by accident. He…
The One He Saw
I wonder if one of the saddest questions we can ask ourselves is not, “Who have I become?” But rather… “What happened to the person God always saw?” Not the person others expected us to be. Not the person shaped by disappointment. Not the person hidden beneath fear, betrayal, or years of trying to survive….
The Shape of Love
I have been thinking lately about how easily we say the word love. We love coffee. We love summer. We love a favorite song. We love a place we’ve visited once. We love people. We even say we love God. The same word carries everything from a passing preference to the deepest commitment a human…
The Storm Doesn’t Test the Leaves, It Tests the Roots
When a storm passes through, our attention is often drawn to the leaves. The branches bending in the wind. The visible damage left behind. The things we can immediately see. But the storm is rarely testing the leaves. It is testing the roots. The leaves may tell us how strong the wind was. The roots…
Before We Talk About Submission
There are certain verses in Scripture that seem to attract more attention than others. Ephesians 5 is one of them. Mention marriage, and it is often only a matter of time before someone brings up the words: “Wives, submit to your husbands.” Yet the older I get, the more I find myself drawn not to…
Coffee With My Father
This morning, as I sat quietly with my coffee, I found myself thinking about prayers. Not the prayers I am praying today. But the ones I prayed years ago. The ones whispered through tears. The ones spoken from places of uncertainty. The ones I wasn’t sure God was listening to. As I sat there, it…
Don’t Lose Yourself
There will come a time in all of our lives when someone hurts us. Perhaps more than once. Perhaps more deeply than we ever thought possible. We will experience disappointment. Betrayal. Disrespect. Broken trust. Words that cannot be taken back. Silences that speak louder than words ever could. And if we live long enough, we…
What Makes a Piece of Writing?
I sometimes wonder what makes a piece of writing truly resonate with people. Is it the writer? The intention behind it? The heart poured into it? Or is it simply the words themselves? At first, it seems obvious to say that writing is made of words. After all, words are what we see on the…
Charina.Writes 