bread and water

 I tried not to talk about it. And before you get any ideas, I’m not talking about my husband. A counselor told me that emotional abuse is harder than physical abuse for several reasons. It’s unseen. The lies, manipulation and brainwashing can make you think things are okay, but they aren’t okay. The gaslighting and gift giving can cause utter confusion. Maybe they’re nice after all? But why do I feel so drained?  Emotional abusers are like emotional vampires who suck the life right out of you to get their fix, at your expense.  All they care about is how they look to others. They may be physically there but emotionally absent. If you set a boundary and don’t let them near you, they find someone else to torment. I use strong language because it is intense. They cause deep pain to those they hurt but they don’t see it. They lie and cause turmoil and try to break apart healthy relationships. It’s truly sad.  If you find yourself struggling with anxiety or depression an...

I woke up to ads on Instagram telling me I needed lip plumper and lip filler and a wrinkle eraser cream.  They say (who are they anyway) we should look a certain way, be a certain size even after having multiple babies, and fit into a social mold.  They say we should lengthen our lashes but God says we are accepted in the Beloved.  “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” That’s Bible.  The Lord desires that we conform to His image. Instead of focusing on our outward appearance, He focuses on the heart. He tells us to love, to be kind, to forgive, to be meek and patient.  He wants to change our pride to humility, our envy to contentment, our jealousy to love.  He wants to change our gossip to encouragement, our lies to truth.  He gives us a garment of praise and a robe of righteousness.  He gives us the armor of God in Ephesians.  When I think of getting spiritually ready it excites me.  When I think of all...

 When you have little ones, the days are long but the years are short. I can’t get over that my oldest is 17. When I was a young Mom, older women would tell me that they wished they would’ve had more kids. I have the same regret, even though I have 4. ”Be fruitful and multiply” right? But I also know the loss and grief of miscarriage. I had one after Titus when I was 14 weeks pregnant and the doctor thinks I may have had a couple more. God is in control. I’m thankful for the blessings He has given and realize that all good gifts come from God and I don’t have control over it. God opens and closes the womb. He gives life and takes away. He has a plan that we don’t see here on earth…at least not all of it. When I look at Titus I am so thankful we said yes to God when He asked us to surrender to having more kids. That was hard. But I don’t regret surrendering to the Lord.  You can read about my surrender story in my new Bible study called The Art of Surrender found at www.beboldb...