As much as I love writing my own pieces, and enjoy the act of crafting each post I share here on the blog, I am especially fond of these monthly Links posts. All month long I look forward to sharing content that others have written—posts that have spoken to me in some way and that I hope will resonate with you, too. Within this month’s roundup you’ll find encouragement for a longing heart, advice on how to help a friend, a dose of nostalgia for us 80’s kids, and a new perspective on body image. Enjoy!
How to Help a Friend in Crisis // Katherine Willis Pershey
“Don’t impose your interpretation of the situation on your friend. Maybe she believes everything happens for a reason – but if she doesn’t, she doesn’t need (another) person insisting this is the case.”
There’s Blessing in the Longing // Glenna Marshall
“He withholds no good thing from His children. . . . If He had satisfied my every physical longing with every physical blessing, I might not feel the hollowness inside, might not learn to name it. Having every desire met might distort my vision of what it is I need. It might keep me from seeing just how much I need Him. Him. The Giver, not the gifts.”
The “I Love MY Body” Message (And Why I Hate It) // Kylie Mitchell
“When I come across messages saying that we should all be trying to, ‘love our bodies,’ it never sits quite right with me. For me, since loving something means I think about it a ton, body love isn’t what I’m going for. I don’t want to sit around all day thinking about my body.”
Holding Both // Leena Tankersley
“Something that helps me be where I am is what I call “holding both”– allowing space in our souls for opposing emotions to simultaneously be true. For example, glorious beauty & a well of sadness. Possibility & regret. Peace & worry. Trust & fear.”
The Uneasy Silence: Prayer for the Rest of Us // Micha Boyett
“Desperation often clarifies the why of prayer. I’m learning I pray not to let God know I’d really like some help over here (God knows, I’m sure), but to train my own eyes to see the help already available: the presence of God’s spirit in the kitchen, at my son’s highchair, holding us both.”
Truth and Fairy Tales // Kimberly Coyle
“Many of us prefer our God kept in a box where He remains small enough for our minds to grasp. We want explanations and rationalizations. We want black-and-white answers in a world of vibrant color. A holy imagination flourishes when we accept God in His fullness. He will not be constrained by the limits we impose or the boundaries we draw for Him.”
What Ever Happened to the Oregon Trail? // Becky Rodriguez
“My niece will never have the fun silly experiences that I had at her age. She will never know the fun of sharing and collecting stickers or passing notes because she will just send an emoji or a text. My adorable niece will never make her own book cover and doodle on it to pass the time in class or know how to make a paper ‘football’ and score the extra point, by using your fingers as goal posts.”
Work & Whiplash // Erin Loechner
“By its very definition, whiplash – the back and forth, the jostle, the snap – forces us to turn our necks. It just begs us to pay attention, to notice, to look a bit closer, right here, toward the left. To surprise yourself over how you can race home with the same speed and passion and anticipation as you left it just days prior.”
The Little Women Guide to Homemaking // Elsie Callender
“The stories we internalize as children come back to teach us as adults. When I read Little Women again as an adult, I paid attention. What did these women have to teach me about life and love, making a home and pursuing my dreams? Because all of these things are their reality and mine, too.”
Have you read anything recently that stood out to you in some way? I’d be honored if you shared it with me!