Yesterday my mom stopped by the house, and in passing, she mentioned something a friend of hers told her after spending a little time with me. She had several compliments to share–all warming my heart–but the comment that struck the deepest cord for me was this: “She has great energy. Kristin’s just someone you want […]
Identity
who I am in light of the Great I AM
You Belonged to Me Before You Belonged to Anyone Else
We all belong to someone: even if your life is so broken, you can only claim the foster system or the government, you are associated with another entity besides yourself. Sadly, we identity ourselves by tag lines that don’t give us a complete or accurate picture of who we truly are:_______’s spouse, ___________’s daughter, __________’s […]
Paralyzed by Indecision
“Too many options can flood someone, yet their inability to choose may be directly tied to their fear of making a mistake. This is exponentially increased if they have had a history of being corrected when they were making a choice—or always being told what to do and what to want. Both extremes create self-doubt and the […]
Changing Your Life with Two Words
Last Sunday, Joe White spoke at our church. The central theme of his talk could be extracted down to two words: I’m third. His stories demonstrated the impact of infusing this mentality into everything a person does. All week, I contemplated the power of living a life as “I’m third” and how that would realign […]
Who am I Impressing and Why?
My nature, I’m not a people pleaser, but I don’t like failing either. I set goals, and if I’m honest, I find too much satisfaction in impressing others with my responsible and proactive nature. Recently, God has been asking me, “Who are you trying to impress here?” Last night, I read in Priscilla Shirer’s book, […]
Your Own Shoes
When I was a teenager, I loved wearing chunky heels. At five feet, ten inches, my footwear wasn’t even slightly sensible, but they made me feel both lovely and powerful, so I wore them. After three children and numerous spinal issues, my shoes are more down-to-earth–literally.
3 Words that Will Help You Say ‘No’
I’m a guilt-prone, overly-responsible, passionate and protective firstborn. Within my strengths creep my weaknesses. For example, my fervor and determination can often be interpreted as anger or antagonism. My prophetic tendencies to speak truth often get me blasted by those who don’t appreciate accountability or questions. Although I don’t enjoy confrontation like some, I won’t […]
The Humility of Christmas
This last week I’ve had one of those “sacred echo” moments where everything I read pointed back to one word: humility. My Advent reading, a message I listened to, a Facebook post, Scripture…all declaring a point of purpose: “Are you listening, Kristin?” I’m trying, Lord. But, humility is a painful lesson. Honestly, I waver between pride […]
How Do I Look?
This month, I have another birthday coming up, which doesn’t bother me (most of the time). After all, age is relative, right? In our culture, depending on what you eat, how much you exercise, and the creams you put on your face, 60 can look 40. And vice versa: those that smoke, do drugs, and […]
Assertive vs. Asinine
In our Trump-bold world of high-octane emotions, we often misdiagnose assertive syntax as knee-jerk responses. They need to know where I stand; I can’t let people walk all over me. Fine. Stand up for truth. Stand up for yourself, but don’t confuse assertive qualities for just being asinine. For example, some would argue that to make my position […]