Posts: Personal Growth
Places That Increase Our Holiness
Learning to put away childish things
Sep 04, 2023
I’ve been reflecting on this verse for some time now, especially as I’m nearing my 40s. The instruction is simple enough. But can I be honest? This is something I struggle with. Have for my entire adult life. I have always thought of myself as a child at heart, viewing the world with a childlike naiveté. I’d like to think it’s how God made me.
One Stone at a Time
Binding the disconnected parts of us
Aug 06, 2023
We spotted him while walking around our neighborhood, fixing a neighbor’s front yard steps. My husband approached him to ask about his services, since we were looking for someone to fix our backyard steps. He would be coming by a few days later to give us a quote. I was grateful, a few less phone calls I’d have to make trying to get multiple quotes.
One Pause at a Time
Learning how to recognize our default reactions
Apr 18, 2023
The argument was meaningless, as many marital arguments tend to be. One sentence became a trigger for the other, which led to defensiveness and trying to prove each other’s points. Things got taken out of context, the past was brought into the present, the words “always” and “never” got thrown around… the usual culprits.
The Imperceptible Motion Underneath
Trusting the process and pace of growth
Apr 02, 2023
Spring officially commenced a week ago, though you’d never be able to tell by looking outside. Just two days ago, it snowed again, after it had all finally melted. The streets were the epitome of a winter wonderland, every surface dusted in white. More is predicted for this week, with temperatures still in the low 40s. The dreariness of the winter sky has not lifted.
The Alchemy of the Written Word
The sacred unity of writer and reader
Mar 11, 2023
I’ve been thinking a lot about “writer identity” lately. How we come to see ourselves as writers. What type of writers we think we are or are not. As much as I don’t want to be boxed in, I also understand that the whole point of branding and self-marketing is, by definition, putting ourselves into some type of recognizable box that readers can connect with.
Saying ‘No Thank You’ to Gratitude Practices
When popular spiritual practices just don’t work for you
Mar 19, 2019
I must confess something. It may come as a shock to some. Dare I say it out loud? Here goes… gratitude practices don’t work for me. In fact, I don’t even like them. There, I said it. Anything from gratitude lists, gratitude journaling, gratitude meditations, you name it, I’ve tried it. Repeatedly. Over an extended period of time. And it just doesn’t work for me.
You’re Not That Special
Why this thought can liberate you
Feb 26, 2019
This is the thought I have in the Uber ride home from a workshop I attended out of curiosity. It came out of nowhere, seemingly, and yet, it felt like the missing puzzle piece I was struggling to find for so long. It was one of those rare thoughts you have once in a blue moon that hits you like a brick, penetrating to the core of something you’ve been struggling with and haven’t been able to find the answer to.
The Hidden Gifts of Our Dispositions
And their potential for our personal growth
Feb 12, 2019
Prone to melancholy. That’s how the pastor described the personality type #4 that I most relate to on the Enneagram. It’s a new sermon series the church started in which they teach on this ancient and insightful tool for self-awareness. My personality type — the “Individualist” — is sensitive, introspective, and self-aware, among other things.
The Sifting of Soul Work
Listening to the stirrings from within
Feb 05, 2019
I’ll be honest. I don’t feel like writing right now. Or doing much of anything, let alone try and be creative. But I committed to writing at least once a week. So I’m here, showing up, despite my inner refusal. I don’t want my art to suffer for the sake of my comfort, or how I feel in this particular moment.
What It Means to Live Our “Best Life”
Jan 09, 2019
The thing they don’t tell you about “living your best life” is that it takes time to get there. And that it has to be YOUR best life, not a cookie-cutter version of someone else’s. We live in a time of “comparison fatigue,” the mental and emotional exhaustion that comes from constantly comparing ourselves — our stuff, our home, our bodies, our achievements, our travels — with those of others.
Exploring Our Buttons
Considering a different perspective on button-pushers
Oct 09, 2018
Been thinking a lot about buttons lately. Not the kind on clothes, the kind in us that get pushed. I started listening to this podcast called “Break Up With Your BS” (genius title btw), and on this particular episode (#3) the two hosts were discussing this topic of having our buttons pushed.
The One Thing (among others) that Makes Us Uniquely Human
Sep 24, 2018
What sets us humans apart from other species? Scholars from numerous and diverse fields have attempted to answer this question. The ability to plan for the future, many might say. Developing meaning out of nothing, still others will say. I think something that seems to be fundamentally human is the desire for and work toward personal growth.
It Takes What It Takes
Thoughts on change
Mar 13, 2018
There is no other way around it. Change. Is. Hard. Perhaps the most trying change of all is attempting to change something about ourselves — a character trait, a habit, a pattern, old beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve us. Why even bother? Because staying the same, a same that no longer feels good, is so much more painful.
To All My Fellow HSPs: An Open Letter
Oct 10, 2016
If there is one thing I would want you to know for sure about yourself, it is that you are exquisitely made. There is a river inside of you that runs so deep, you will spend many years thinking it is a void that you need to fill with the things of this world. But my dear, it is actually a space created to collect and hold the pain of your fellow beings tenderly.
How to Hide Your Light from the World
Sep 26, 2016
First, believe the lies. All of them. The ones that make you feel small, very small, and insignificant. You know? The “you are not enough” lies and all their different variations. Don’t just accept them, ingrain them into your identity. Make them part of who you are. That is the first step.