Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
INSIDE: What does it mean to take up space? Do you have a fear of taking up space? Do you want to be seen as low maintenance? Listen in. Taking up space means to be more than furniture; to be human. In the words of Pinocchio to be “a real boy.” It means to kindly […]
INSIDE: Why is it hard to be vulnerable? What are the characteristics of a safe person? If you fear being vulnerable but want to try, listen to Jamie Ivey. Being vulnerable with safe people in the midst of your mess is a sacred space. Saying “I’m struggling too” is a saint’s cry. Wherever you struggle […]
Some of us feel like asking for help is The Worst, and our reasons for that fall into three buckets: our sin (like pride), wounds inflicted by others when we’ve asked for help in the past, and lies we believe about what it says about us if we ask for help. We don’t want to […]
Most moms I know – at one time or another – have said some version of “I’m messing up my kids.” Because we’ve lived the power of words and actions in our own lives with our parents, and because we know the truth of science, and the practicality of much of the messaging, we know […]
No grace-girl worth her salt wants to be selfish. Women – especially women raised in the church – do not want to be selfish or self-centered or someone who pursues selfish ambitions. Selfishness is a ninja that sneaks up on us and calls us out when we dare to watch a show and sit on […]
Before I became a mom, I saw motherhood as a role filled with joy, love, and hope with a sprinkle of frustration and frazzle. These emotions have certainly proven true. Yet there’s one emotion I didn’t imagine feeling, or at least feeling as often as I do these days. I never envisioned experiencing fear. You […]
I stand in our kitchen and scan the house. Dishes in the sink. A project due for work in two hours. Two girls complaining. Dinner in the oven late. And my text messages are going crazy. I’m behind, disorganized, and overwhelmed. I feel like The Worst mom ever, like I’m failing at doing in the […]
I’m not one who likes to be scared. Being frightened isn’t my thing, but living a life of fear? Well, I keep signing up for that. The truth is that I worry a lot and live with a chronic case of low-grade anxiety. It wasn’t until I discovered the Enneagram, an ancient personality typing system […]
Gene Krantz, flight director for the Apollo 13* mission, tells his team that failure is not an option: they must bring home the three astronauts catapulting through space in a handicapped module. Thank goodness they didn’t fail, and all astronauts came back to earth safely. Although my circumstances aren’t so life-or-death, I’ve adopted Krantz’s motto […]
I’m not a fan of voluntarily scaring myself. You won’t see me on a tall rollercoaster or inside a Haunted House, and I haven’t seen a horror film since the Blair Witch Project released in 1999, which still gives me the shivers. And even though I don’t voluntarily scare myself, I invite fear to invade my […]