“For those who trust in the Divine all things are moving towards an everlasting state of happiness, and no matter what happens at any time to them, it contributes to that state.” Emmanuel Swedenborg

I realised that we, as human beings, all want to be happy, but sometimes striving to find that happiness can be a struggle. Most of the time I find that I’m searching for it in the wrong places or in the wrong way, when the key to finding happiness is much simpler than I think – the Lord. This passage from Psalms says it all for me:

“Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 144:15

The bible guides us to find happiness through God’s word.

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Continue reading Smile! →

Last month brought considerable attention to the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse when actress Alyssa Milano’s call for victims to post “me too” took social media by storm.

Since this campaign my mind has been preoccupied with what it means to raise children in a world where harassment, and especially sexual abuse, is so common. It’s far too easy to get lost in the dark places in my mind when I think about sexual abuse at all, let alone when it involves children. Dwelling on that subject is something I need to actively work to shun. But there’s a balance too, right?

I also need to actively think about how I will protect my children, how I will help to make this world safer for them. These big, awful issues require a delicate balance between pragmatism and trust. How do we maintain trust and fight the demons of anxiety and fear in a world that is so patently unsafe for innocence? How do we have the trust that allows us to parent without consuming fear? Continue reading Anchor To My Trust →

For many years I’ve really liked the analogy of being able to boil things down, to get to the heart of an experience or interaction. To come to the center of an idea or feeling, to a point where all of the water of confusion or disconnection is able to evaporate, and you’re left with the core of what’s going on. The center or the seed.

Imagine two people who are coming home after a hard day. It could be two adults, or friends, or a parent and child. They both hope to connect but are feeling overwhelmed and layered with frustration, resentment, or expectations, and the good desire to connect and feel safe is buried. When the two people start to interact it is likely that their movements and their choice of words will be caked down by irritations that distort the good love of connecting. If either of the two can begin to calm themselves and be a little thoughtful and have at least a small heart of gratitude, they can both begin to shift and work through these heavy layers. They can eventually be able to say, “oh, I see where you are coming from and what you’re going through, and I love you.” They can grow in their understanding of each other and find a good connection.

When I remember to regard others with respect and believe that they are doing the best they can with what they have, it is easier to love them and work to understand and connect with them in an honest way. Continue reading Boiling It Down →

Recently I’ve been grateful for the reminder that the Lord’s Word is full of His voice telling us to “fear not.”

For most of my life when I heard this phrase I just focused on the comforting aspect of it – fear not or don’t worry because things will turn out alright. It is very comforting, but in more recent years it has struck me that this phrase “fear not” is also in the imperative tense. It is a command.

It feels like an impossible command in some ways.  Fear usually feels like something I can’t control because it just happens to me. Then I think about the commandment, “Thou shalt not covet”. Part of coveting is a feeling that we need to reject. That seems impossible in a way too. Yet it’s one of the Ten Commandments and we are expected to follow it. Therefore, if we can do something about coveting, then we can also do something about fearing.

This phrase comes up in the middle of a lot of seemingly insurmountable problems in the Word. Continue reading Fear Not →