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Easing the Back to School Anxiety
By Pam Thompson Today is something like my 14th or 15th first day of school as a mom. It is hard to count, since we homeschooled our oldest for Kindergarten in a very laid back manner, so I’m not sure we even took a photo. Today my two youngest children are enjoying their very first day of kindergarten. For kids, the first day of school in generally an exciting time (even for the kids who pretend to hate that summer is ending.) For moms, this time can be wrought with anxiety and worry. I will share some of the things that have helped me ease into the transition of summer…
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Domestic Violence and Marriage
By Sandra Ostapowich “Everyone around me thinks my husband is a really good guy. He’s active in church and everyone likes him. I don’t think anyone would believe me if I told them that he isn’t charming and nice at home, and that when he’s really angry at me he hits me. How can I honor my marriage and my husband when it’s so far from the picture painted in church? Where can I go for help when it seems like everyone would be on his side?” I believe you. And I understand the seemingly impossible position you’re in. There isn’t much information to go by in this brief note,…
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What To Expect When You’re Not Expecting
By Holly Scheer Dear Sisters, I found out that a friend is having another baby. I’m not right now. Pray for my jealousy? –a baby loving Lutheran mama Dear mama, It’s really hard when we find ourselves in the position of being the sister who isn’t expecting when it seems like everyone else around us is. Babies really are amazing, aren’t they? There are many reasons why we might find ourselves not expecting a baby, and none of them are really less painful. I’m so sorry that right now you are praying and hoping for a baby and that right now you’re having to wait. Praise be to…
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My Old Friend, Anxiety
By Heidi Goehmann I have had a long history with anxiety. So much so that I tell people it’s like a backpack. I take it on and off, but it’s always at least sitting in the corner of the room, staring me down. I have tried for years to shake off the weight. Years ago a friend told me that “Do not be afraid…” is the most often given command in the Bible. So, I took it to heart and when anxiety would well up, I’d push it down, way down, telling myself over and over, “Do not be afraid, do not be afraid.” Sometimes I’d even take on a…
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Confession and Shame
Dear Sisters, I’m not sure where to ask this but I’ve seen that you run posts without naming the asker so I thought I’d try. I’m married and we have a new baby. I love my husband and my son but there’s something wrong. Something really, really wrong, and I am ashamed. I haven’t talked to my pastor because I’m worried I’ll make him think I’m horrible. I’m attracted to other women. I’ve never actually typed that out before, but I need help. Do you have any advice for me? -A hurting sister. Dear Sister in Christ, First, I want to tell you my heart hurts for you. I…
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Living life according to The One Thing Needful
By Mary Abrahamson So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Deuteronomy 8:3-4 Do you ever compare yourselves to others? Oh, such a bad and dangerous habit! Especially for those of us who tend to feel guilty for not living up to the standards of others. Or put another way, for those of us who set standards for ourselves that are unattainable or that we struggle to…
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Our Pet Sins
By Holly Scheer The name “pet sins” has always made me uncomfortable. When I think of pets I think of cute, warm, cuddly animals– the kind of thing you nuture and like to keep around. That’s not how I like to think about my sins. It’s fitting, though, isn’t it? The sins we take in, hold close, and nuture through our lives. The ones we hold close. The ones that we excuse as just part of us. Pet sins. Having a predisposition to something doesn’t make it something that’s good for us, though. Sometimes the sins that come easiest to us are the hardest to really call sin– because that’s…
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Sparring with Marilla: Part One
By Mary Abrahamson If you are an Anne of Green Gables fan as am I, you will be familiar with Marilla Cuthbert. Marilla is practical. She has little time for imagination. She has no patience with vanity. Marilla is a strong pioneer sort of spinster woman who, together with her bachelor brother, Matthew, adopts dear Anne from the orphanage. They had asked for a boy to help Matthew with the farm. But instead, got red-headed lively Anne. Anne who has known nothing but poverty and hardship comes complete with imagination galore and dreams of elegance and love. I have much Marilla in me. And much of Anne. The character of…
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On Getting Along
By Holly Scheer I don’t like being disagreeable. Conflict makes me nervous. The idea of upsetting the people near and dear to me is, well, upsetting. There’s peace and then there’s false peace. Do you have friends or family that you get along with, but only because you’re silent on things that matter, like the faith? What can you do when it feels like relationships chug along at the cost of keeping the peace and avoiding contentious topics? First, decide where the relationship fits with your vocation. Is it given to you as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, Ect to engage this person on this subject? Next, pray about…
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Motherhood and Vocation
I’m not going to lie. Since I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I haven’t considered being anything other than a stay-at-home-mother. Except for one problem…I’m a liar. When my firstborn was only eight weeks old, I was taking him to work with me. At a church, no less. Yes, I was with him all day, every day, for which I am very grateful, but I was hardly a stay-at-home-mother back then. I was a working mother, serving God and the church to which He had called me, as well as serving my family. This was a short-term situation—my call to that church ended a few months…
