When someone tells you that the biggest blessing of her childhood was the day her mother died, you know her story is dark. You know the pain runs deep. That’s the gist of one story we heard last night at a prison near Little Rock. 

I have enough drama in my own life, thank you very much. I don’t need someone else’s. Adding another’s onto my plate is not something I can stomach. Especially when the drama, characters, and plot are clearly contrived. What Hollywood offers screams ‘counterfeit’ and pales in comparison to my own reality.

One thing I know is true: Embracing God-given purpose truly satisfies. I’ve not only ‘been there, done that,’ I am there and am doing that. And it tastes mighty sweet, fills me up and keeps on filling.

If you ever hope to accomplish your What, you need to get in touch with your Why. If you are currently going through Embracing Purpose or have in the past, it’s probably because you are hoping to find your purpose – your What. What am I to do?

When my sisters and I traveled to Europe years ago, we splurged on one fine hotel –the Bella Rosa in the pedestrian district of Florence, Italy. I was utterly awed that we were staying in a structure that was 500 hundred years old. I soaked it in then and over these many years have reflected countless times on how the experience made me feel.

Behind every pair of eyes, there is a soap-opera that rivals anything reality TV has to offer. I’m often bewildered at how resilient some deeply wounded people are while others become embittered and adrift in a sea of loss. Is it just personality at work or can resilience be learned?

Still looking for your purpose? Maybe you’re asking the wrong questions of God. A small tweak in your thinking and language could change everything. In John 5:19 Jesus gives us a clue to the way we are to think about purpose discovery. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

First thing in the morning, when even the dog still snoozes, is the only island of quiet I know. Inside my home and inside my heart and head, I find space to just be. Alone and still with Jesus, my constant Companion, who is, I realize, both quiet and active.

Of all the parables in the Bible, the Parable of the Sower is my favorite. Rich with meaning, this passage transcends time.
In Luke 8 Jesus is talking about what happens to seeds—God’s word—when they land on different types of terrain.

Stunning to me is the fact that the God of the Universe wants me, ordinary me, to have tremendous joy in this life. With all He has on His mind, God cares about that? Apparently, He does. And it’s not some hum-drum kind of joy, but the full measure of His Son’s own joy —bigger, better, and far more beautiful than mere human happiness. I want some of that.

One of the most challenging exercises that women undertake in Embracing Purpose is the sharing of family stories, going all the way back to childhood. It’s challenging for many reasons, not the least of which is that those listening are often strangers.

You are not your own … for you have been bought with a price. ~ I Corinthians 6:19-20

Personally, I like this verse. But I can understand how someone might find it, well, annoying. Paul is telling us Christians, You’ve got it all wrong – your approach to life. You’re acting like you belong to you, like you’re in charge, and that simply isn’t true.