I was a single mom for nearly two decades, and it was during that same season that I became a Christian. Most of those years, I longed for marriage. I truly believed that if I married a Christian man and I was a Christian woman, we’d have an amazing marriage and life would be great. So, I set out to find a husband—even though, if I’m honest, I wasn’t anywhere near ready to be a godly wife. During that time, I was part of a small group at church filled mostly with married couples. We studied...

We tend to lean into busy because being still somehow feels less than. For years, I was a true busybody. I signed up for every committee, volunteered for every event, and ran from one thing to the next—with kids in tow. I thought that’s what the Christian life was supposed to look like—constant doing. I knew about the story of Mary and Martha, about the beauty of sitting at Jesus’ feet, but I didn’t think that was meant to be a lifestyle. I thought it was something you did occasionally —after...

Years ago, I was watching Oprah talk about being thankful. She said if you can’t think of anything to be grateful for, be grateful you’re breathing. Fast forward years later—I had become a Christian, and God began to convict my heart about how often I focused on what I didn’t have instead of what I did. Then I came across the verse that says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.”  (Psalm 100:4 NIV) It reminded me of Oprah’s challenge, and I decided to take it...