For the girl going to bed tonight feeling … Weighed down by fear and worst-case scenario thinking. Consumed with anxiety because of situations you don’t know how to fix. Stressed out, maxed out and worn out by all that’s on your plate right now. Hold on to this promise tonight: God not only has the whole world in His hands; He’s holding the details of your life in His faithful hands as well. While He may not always fix everything right away, we can fix our thoughts on the truths in His Word.  If you need help daily walking this out … I’ve joined my fellow writers at Proverbs 31 Ministri ..read more

When the very people you thought you could count on hurt you … When it seems like no one understands you or the struggles you’re facing … When you’re surrounded by others but still feel incredibly lonely … It’s tempting to wonder, Jesus, are You here? Do You care? Oh, friend, we may feel alone in our difficult circumstances, but Jesus assures us we are not. Even when we can’t see Him, He is here. Even when we don’t hear Him, He isn’t silent. How can we know this for sure? Because Jesus is never absent throughout Scripture, and He’s certainly not absent in our lives either. And now, Dr. Joel Mu ..read more

When navigating difficulties in a relationship, do you ever find yourself asking, “Is this normal? Is every relationship this hard?” I understand these challenges and have also asked the same questions. But after years of personal counseling and extensive time spent in God’s Word, I’ve learned all relationships can be difficult at times, but they should not be destructive to our well-being. Not only is it OK for us to identify concerning behaviors and harmful actions against us, but it is biblical. It’s not unchristian to require people to treat us in healthy ways. I know that can sound really ..read more

Hi friend, Can we have a heart-to-heart talk for a minute? There’s something I want to tenderly remind you today … Don’t underestimate the amount of still moments you may need. Maybe you’ve experienced some unexpected hardship in an important relationship this year. Or you’ve been taking care of a sick family member. Maybe it’s been a difficult season of parenting or you’ve been feeling disconnected from God. I’ve been there. When our days are busy and we’re checking things off our to-do lists, we can be tempted to believe that we’re doing OK. But in reality, we’re coping, pushing through and ..read more

Two years of healing. Two years of focusing on my own health. Two years of learning how to sit in the quiet with myself and be OK. Two years of believing God for good even when things felt not good at all. Two years of going home to an empty house and counting the blessings that are still abundant. Two years of realizing the days I feel like opening God’s Word the least are the days I need God’s Word the most. Two years … and I’m good. Better than good. I’m honestly surprised by how far I’ve come and how honest my laughter is now. My life looks different, but it is still full and joyful. And I ..read more

Some people say time heals all wounds . . . but I don’t agree. I think it’s what we plant in the soil of that time that determines what we yield. I know it can be hard to figure out this whole healing thing. Healing is not nearly as neat and tidy as I would like it to be. Ideally, I want to build on what I learn each day and check off my healing boxes like I would cross things off a to-do list. But that’s not the way healing works. It’s not linear. It is a journey of both progress and regress. Through my own healing journey, I learned a daily practice that really helped me: Receiving God’s enc ..read more

As I wrote my new book, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, I thought of you with every word I typed. I thought about the comments and direct messages I receive with your stories. The heartbreak. The tears. The relational hardships that seem never-ending. The greatest desire of my heart was to create a safe place for you to process all of this within the pages of this book.  That’s why I want to invite you into a part of my journey that I never got to share with anyone — words that started out in my journal and made their way into the early manuscript for Good Boundaries and Goodbyes. Unfortuna ..read more

Every day, I receive dozens of direct messages on social media from women who have been profoundly impacted by the Therapy & Theology podcast.  This podcast was born out of my own desperate need to make sure I was actually processing in a healthy and biblically wise way all I was going through, not just hoping everything would get better over the course of time.  I was fortunate enough to find a really good Christian counselor, but that is not the case for a multitude of women. Either they can’t afford counseling, they are afraid to go to a counselor, or they can’t find one in th ..read more

Do you have a relationship in your life where you know something is wrong, but you can’t figure out what to do? You’ve prayed about this behavior or situation. You’ve talked about this. You’ve tried to navigate it. You may have even tried to stop it. You’ve made changes. You’ve listened to wise advice and done everything you know to do. But in the end, nothing has worked. And maybe you’ve started to realize if the other person doesn’t want things to change, you cannot change them. So what can you do? Apply boundaries. I know … This feels impossible. Relationships come with many of their own co ..read more

Is it unloving or selfish to set a boundary? I’ve found myself asking this very same question.  Join me tomorrow on the Proverbs 31 Ministries Facebook page as I answer this question and more during a free live Q&A!  Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes conversation tomorrow, November 8, at 11:00 a.m. ET, to celebrate the release of my new book, Good Boundaries and Goodbyes.  I can’t wait to process the questions so many of us are having around the topic of boundaries together and celebrate the release with a fun giveaway at the end! See you then! Click here to join the releas ..read more