The Fish Tank

Social media. I have a love/hate relationship with you. I love that you keep me connected with people: my family and friends from near and far currently and from the past. I love cheering on friends from the other side of the screen; excited for their victories and praying for their hardships. And then there are those that deflate me. If I am not careful, I will follow someone just to watch the train wreck. I may even follow just to be in "the know" of their life not really caring about them deeply. Sometimes I follow some just so I don't miss out on what they may post next. This is totally unhealthy, obviously. What is in your social media feeds? What are you seeing everyday? What is filling your heart and your mind? We like to scroll. Scrolling removes us from reality which may seem too hard, daunting, or hurtful in the moment. Scrolling turns our brains off from the busyness of the day. It's mindless. Or, is it? We are captivated by what's in that littl...

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity Should I be consulted by them at all?" Ezekiel 14:3 I like symbols. For the most part, they bring about good memories. I love a good pumpkin because it stirs in me the longing for cool crisp air, falling leaves, and the holiday season. Each year, my husband and I drag the boys out to the Christmas tree farm in honor of Clark Griswold and chop down our family Christmas tree. I also love to hang my flag outside my home proudly every chance I get. Symbols are useful tools. They evoke emotion and nostalgia. Sometimes symbols bring pain and hurt. The cross is an example of both. You cannot think of the cross without remembering pain. Nor, can you remember the cross and without experiencing such great hope. But, if I get too fixated on the cross, a symbol I hold so dear, I lose sight on the most important part of my faith story: Jesus. It'...

Okay. So my junk drawer isn't that bad. I can't help it. I live better when things are tidy and in their place. It seems I have miraculously become nine months pregnant because I am a nesting and organizing crazy lady over here ever since the boys went back to school. But, let's face it, we all have our junk. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." James 5:16 I think one of the most difficult things in life is owning our junk. Seriously. Who wants to fess up to the crud in their life? I am not raising my hand. One of our sons made a mistake the other day. He was not happy to talk about said issue and was a hot mess, to say the least. One thing my husband and I kept saying over and over to him was to own it and move on. Doesn't it seem that life is so much easier when we own our junk, learn from it, and move on. If we don't, we find ourse...