Love is a tricky word to define. The world has one definition of love. God’s Word has another. With these differing definitions, how do we define love? How can we know what’s true?
Imagine you’re sitting next to a friend at an incredibly loud sporting event. As everyone is cheering on their team, you’re trying to tell your friend that you’re going to get some more popcorn. Maybe you try to yell, but they still don’t hear you. So you lean in close, tell them where you’re going, and stand up to get some snacks.
I recently had the opportunity to facilitate a women’s retreat at a local Lutheran camp. While gathering together with a multiage group of women, we spent time listening to, discussing, and exploring the words of the hymn “It Is Well.”
In January 2018 and 2019, a lot of people abandoned New Year's resolutions in favor of a single word that would influence everything they did that year.
Here in Northern Illinois, we are deep in the heart of winter. The days are short and the sunlight can be nearly impossible to find some days. It seems as if it is dark when I wake up and go to school, and somehow it’s nearly dark when I leave school as well.
There is big lie that Satan works hard to get you to believe. He wants you to think that you are not enough. He wants you to see those around you and what they are doing and compare yourself, your life, your family, your friends, and your job to them. The more aspects of your life that he can convince you to scrutinize, the better. The start of a new year is an especially easy time to make this lie seem real. Before you even realize it, a well-intentioned New Year's resolution, for example, can become a toxic reminder of who you are not.
I am an absolute sucker for second chances, new beginnings, and fresh starts. It should come as no surprise then when I say that the beginning of a new year is most certainly my favorite part of each year. Sure, I enjoy birthdays, holidays, and summer just like everyone else, but there is something truly magical about the first of three hundred and sixty-five new days. It’s like the first page in a wonderful new book. I tend to start each new year wide-eyed and excited for all the possibilities of ahead.
One of our favorite things about where my husband, two dogs, and I live is our close proximity to the beautiful badlands of North Dakota. On the occasional free weekend, the four of us enjoy venturing out onto some public land and getting a good hike in. Since our first trip out, I have learned what to expect. However, that first trip was a learning curve for me.
