Living life with a sense of peace does not eliminate suffering.  What I have found is having inner peace grounds me for any and all suffering that comes my way.    When my late husband died people said I was strong.  It was not my strength it was my inner peace knowing that whatever suffering comes my way Jesus will ground me and show me how to move through the chaos. That time was not without suffering, but I was able to move forward because I chose to rely on something greater than myself.  I gave control to Jesus and believed…

As I walked by photos that are displayed on the wall of our home, I realized the photos displayed something very different to me than the photos that are hanging in the home of my parents.  In the home of my parents, the photos generate warm and fuzzy feelings that are moments in time that are captured and that bring a smile to my face and inner peace.  In my home our photo gallery brings feelings of overcoming adversity, a wall of strength and endurance, highlighting what we as a family have endured. Looking at my kids’ photographs each…

Whenever I am forced into battle I want to fight fair.  The only way I know how to do that is to first engage in prayer and second to make sure my total being is coming from a perspective of love.  When I am engaged in prayer and focusing on love, I begin to feel compassion for whatever combat is headed in my direction. I normally avoid battle, but sometimes I am tossed in before I even know what is happening.  When I am caught off guard I have to stop and focus on what is most important.  For me…

I was speaking with someone who was a bit frustrated with a friend who lives life as a follower of Jesus.  This person was given advice to trust in Jesus, and that it will all work out.  Here is the catch.  The friend giving the advice was very worried about something and was not following their own suggestion.  The question was, “How do I help someone who is giving me advice to trust Jesus, but is not trusting Jesus with their own worries?”  Think about how strong we would be as followers of Jesus if we all applied his advice…