Hope Victorious

On a recent hike, my 8 year-old son spotted this butterfly and called me over to look at it.   The coloring of the pattern of its wings was beautiful and the blue shimmered in the sunlight.   We looked at it for several minutes and my son asked for my phone to take this picture.   While looking at it, he said, “ I wonder if it knows how beautiful it is?”.   That struck me as a profound question.   I wonder too. From a biology perspective there may be a reason or purpose to the pattern and colors in its wings.   Someone knows, just not me! I asked my son if he knows just how amazing he is.   He smiled in reply.   I think he knows that I think he is amazing.   And he is still innocent in the way children are that they think highly of themselves and their abilities. Most of the time we grow out of that innocence, or it is robbed from us by trauma.   But by adulthood, the majority of us now think it to be arrogant or conceited to see ourselves as beautiful, amazing, talented or powerf

Sleep is not the answer to every kind of tiredness.   We all experience being tired.   We live in a culture that overemphasizes productivity and efficiency, so much so that most people have a hard time knowing how to rest and be still unless they are sleeping!   Are you ever tired in a way that no amount of sleep with alleviate?   Do you get tired of being tired? I find it is helpful to get in the practice of asking yourself what kind of tiredness or weariness you are experiencing.   It takes time, practice and increased self-awareness to learn to identify kinds of tiredness.   Here are a few: 1.      You can be tired because you are overwhelmed with all that is required of you. In this situation, you are doing your best to get done all that you need to do, but no matter how hard you try there is always more and you cannot “catch up”.    You may be overcommitted.   Perhaps you have taken on more than is realistic for you to handle. You may need to re-evaluate and change what you

  “Trauma creates change you don't choose; healing creates change you do choose."      Michele Rosenthal I appreciate this quote so much! It is good to be reminded that healing is a choice. No one would choose trauma to be a part of their life if they had that choice. The work of healing from trauma is not easy or fun. It requires great persistence, strength and determination. It is exhausting on all levels; emotionally, physically and relationally. But the reward of healing is enormous and valuable beyond description. Change takes time. One thing I’ve learned about trauma is that there is no time limit, no expiration date. Trauma can happen in a short time; a second even… but then there is reoccurring or sustained trauma.   Regardless of how long the time span of the traumatic event(s), the changes caused by that trauma can stretch over a significant amount of time. Think of a small stone thrown into the still water of a small pond. You can watch the stone hit the water

One of my favorite promises in scripture is found in Romans 8:28, which reads; “ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” .  I take great comfort in this verse.  The promise that all things can be “worked together for good” gives me hope in the places where my life is anything but good.  Here in Romans 8:28 I am reminded that God is in the business of restoration and redemption.  Things do not need to remain the same.  Redemption is the turning of something that was intended to bring harm into a blessing.  The negative circumstances in my life can be re-worked by God to bring about goodness.  The promises of Romans 8:28 is aimed at those who “love God and are called according to His purpose”.  This is critical because our relationship with God is based on love and surrender.  God loves us and we find rest and surrender in that love.  Part of our love back to God is the faith that His heart