The Hope of Healing

By the grace of God, we cannot quite pull it off. In the quiet moments of the day we sense a nagging within, a discontentment, a hunger for something else. But because we have not solved the riddle of our existence, we assume that something is wrong—not with life, but with us. Everyone else seems to be getting on with things. What's wrong with me? We feel guilty about our chronic disappointment. Why can't I just learn to be happier in my job, in my marriage,…

Forgive God? This idea is going to cause some readers to freak out. Just listen for a moment. If you are holding something in your heart against Jesus — the loss of someone you love, a painful memory from your past, simply the way your life has turned out — if you are holding that against Jesus, well, then, it is between you and Jesus. And no amount of ignoring it or being faithful in other areas of your life is going to make it go away. In order to move,…

We all felt the pain of the moment when it was reported that Michele, a 61-year-old women, had died tragically when a propane tank exploded in the office at a small local motel in our community. She was a night auditor there and had worked for the family-owned business for 34 years. Our hearts are hurting, even though we may not have known her personally. The headlines in today’s newspaper read: “The Most Loving” – Hundreds gather to honor woman who…

Jill Price was born with the condition of hyperthymesia: the ability to remember in extraordinary detail everything that ever happened to her. She can replay in her mind the exact occurrence of any event she’s experienced in her lifetime. The TV show Unforgettable was premised on a female police officer with hyperthymesia—to her a great advantage in trivia games and in solving crimes. For Jill Price, however, the condition isn’t so much fun. She can&rsquo…

They will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:23 NLT) I was listening to a few refrains from “O Holy Night”: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices” and something deep in my spirit said, O yes, dear Jesus, we need hope. Come for this weary world. Actually, this world is more than weary, it’s coming apart at the seams. Something deep is unraveling. I wonder if you’ve felt it too. The barrenness of,…

Do you remember the playground game King of the Hill? My buddies and I would fight tooth and nail, arms and legs flailing to get to the top of that dirt pile, taking no prisoners. My only goal was to get to the top and hold that position under any circumstances. Bruised limbs, scuffed knees, makes no never mind. Win at all costs. Does that sound familiar? I took that same doggedness into my early career and life. Why? I’d need a hundred pages to explain. The simplest…

This stream of Counseling doesn't just flow to us directly from Christ, only from him; it flows through his people as well. We need others—and need them deeply. Yes, the Spirit was sent to be our Counselor. Yes, Jesus speaks to us personally. But often he works through another human being. The fact is, we are usually too close to our lives to see what's going on. Because it's our story we're trying to understand, we sometimes don't know what'…

Who among us has not suffered betrayal at the hands of a trusted friend? Who among us has not shrunk away in response to being hurt? Which one of us has not been responsible for wounding another? We all have. We all have. We need Jesus. We need mercy. We need healing. We are not meant to live this life alone, and we won’t get very far along on our journey if we try. We don’t have the luxury of insisting we never be hurt again. We don’t get to insist on,…

No matter where you are in life, odds are you’re thinking about your future more than ever. Whether a student getting ready for graduation, a young manager plotting the next career move, or a parent seeking the best for your children, you’re making decisions today that will affect the rest of your life. And with each choice you make, you’re trying to create the best life possible for yourself and those you love. Throughout my life’s journey, there&rsquo…