Boundaries Are an Act of Stewardship
Boundaries are not just emotional tools. They can also be an act of stewardship. That may sound strange if you were taught that boundaries are selfish. But stewardship means caring…
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When Your Body Knows Before Your Mouth Does
Sometimes your body tells the truth before your mouth is ready to admit it. Your stomach tightens when a certain name appears on your phone.Your shoulders tense before a family…
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You Are Allowed to Have Limits
You are allowed to have limits. Read that again slowly. You are allowed to get tired.You are allowed to need quiet.You are allowed to say no.You are allowed to change…
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The Difference Between a Boundary and a Threat
One of the most important things to understand about boundaries is this: A boundary is about what I will do.A threat is about trying to control what you will do….
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Why Boundaries Feel So Mean at First
If setting boundaries feels mean to you, you are not alone. For many people, boundaries do not feel peaceful at first. They feel terrifying. They feel selfish. They feel rude….
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Boundaries Are Not Walls
For a long time, many people hear the word boundaries and immediately think it means shutting people out. They imagine walls.Distance.Coldness.Rejection.Being mean.Cutting people off. But healthy boundaries are not walls….
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Hope Can Begin in a Broken Place
Hope does not always begin in a bright, easy place. Sometimes hope begins in the broken place. It begins after the loss, after the tears, after the disappointment, after the…
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The Grief of Being Strong for Too Long
Being strong can become its own kind of grief. At first, strength may be necessary. You do what has to be done. You make the calls. You handle the crisis….
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When Grief Changes Your Faith
Grief can change the way you pray. It can change the way you read Scripture. It can change the way you worship, trust, hope, and understand God’s nearness. Loss can…
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When Grief Makes You Feel Like a Different Person
There is a strange part of grief that people do not always talk about. It is not just that you miss someone. It is not just that you cry, or…
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The Grief That Comes With Letting Go
Letting go can be necessary and still hurt. That is something we do not always talk about. Sometimes we act as if doing the right thing should automatically feel peaceful….
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The Grief of Missing Who You Used to Be
Grief is not always about missing another person. Sometimes grief is about missing yourself. You may miss who you were before the loss. Before the illness. Before the betrayal. Before…
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When Memories Hurt and Heal at the Same Time
Memories can be complicated after loss. A memory can make you smile and ache in the same breath. It can bring warmth to your heart and tears to your eyes….
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Finding Balance and Purpose: Moving Forward After Loss
For widows and widowers who are past the earliest shock, life after loss can feel like a daily tug-of-war between sorrow and the first flickers of possibility. Grief still arrives…
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When Grief Feels Heavy Before You Even Understand Why
Sometimes grief arrives before you have words for it.
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The Loneliness Grief Leaves Behind
Grief can make a room full of people feel empty. You may have people around you. You may have family, friends, coworkers, church members, or acquaintances who care. You may…
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Learning to Live With Loss Without Losing Yourself
Grief Changes You There is no honest way around that. Loss can change how you see the world, how safe you feel, how you trust, how you love, how you…
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The Quiet Grief of Life Changing
Not All Grief Comes From One Big Loss Not all grief comes from one big loss. Sometimes grief comes from life slowly changing. Children grow up. Parents age. Friendships shift….
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Grieving Someone Who Is Still Alive
When the Person Is Still Here but the Relationship Has Changed One of the hardest kinds of grief is grieving someone who is still alive. It can feel confusing, unfair,…
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The Grief of What Should Have Been
Some grief is hard to explain because it is not only about what happened. It is about what should have happened. The parent who should have protected you.The marriage that…