Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
Honestly, I’m not saying cynicism is a bad thing. I actually advocate it to some degree because biblical principles like wisdom often accompany it. However, I realize cynicism can result in callousness, so I want to approach the topic of guarding our hearts with that in mind. Here are a couple ways to take a cautious—but not cold—approach to romantic relationships.
I can’t believe it’s been over three months since I last published a poem. That one was tied to a specific verse—Psalm 34:8—but this one is based on several verses from Psalm 139. It’s about how intimately God knows us. It’s short and simple, but hopefully, it’s a reminder of His wonderful love.
I’ve seen it more times than I can count—the girl who decides to take matters into her own hands when she loves a guy who’s ambivalent toward her or even uninterested in her. She makes excuses for his lack of initiation, claiming he’s just too nervous or too shy to take the lead. So she takes the lead instead. She seeks him out, talks to him, flirts with him, texts him, and asks him out. But deep down, it’s unsatisfying because she wants what every girl wants—to be chased.
As a former anorexic who’s struggled to accept her body and maintain her health, the main thing I want you to know if you turned back to your eating disorder is that grace and forgiveness are available to you. It’s not too late to find freedom again. You can return to what's right and true, and your brothers and sisters in Christ can help lead you there—if you're willing.
Last month, I appeared as a guest on Unpolished Faith, a podcast hosted by Madi Franquiz. Our conversation centered on shining the light of Christ in secular work environments. This topic is near and dear to my heart because I've had jobs in worldly workplaces (and they were challenging!). But I hope our conversation will encourage you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and share His love in difficult places. I really appreciate Madi for having me on her podcast. You can listen to the episode here!
A couple years ago, I noticed a trend in the Christian book market. All of a sudden, it felt like there were lots of books about church hurt. I’m thankful I haven’t had any traumatizing experiences at church, but I did begin to wonder if church hurt is more common than I thought. Church hurt definitely is a real thing, and that's why I wrote this post.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Being ghosted is hard. The rejection combined with the lack of closure makes it a very unfun experience. It definitely happens on dating apps, but yours truly can attest that (unfortunately) it also happens beyond the dating apps. No matter how you were ghosted, though, I want you to know you can get through it. In last week’s post, I shared two radical truths to help you process the experience and move forward. Here are a few more radical truths you should also keep in mind.
I know James isn’t the right guy for me (or even a good guy in general), but it’s been super hard to get over him and what he’s done to me. Perhaps you, too, have been ghosted and can’t seem to move on. I completely understand your struggle, and I have five hope-filled truths to share with you during this post-ghost season that might surprise you.
You probably aren’t surprised that this post is about freedom because the 4th of July (i.e., Independence Day) is coming up soon. But my answer to the question “Does true freedom actually exist?” might surprise you. Truth be told, there are lots of things we don’t have freedom from—at least not here and now.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 