Enduring to the End | Brianna Barrett Blog

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Enduring to the End | Brianna Barrett Blog

I’m honored to share one of the devotions found in my book 40 Days to God, My Father on my friend Brianna Barrett’s blog. You can find an excerpt below and click the link to read the full devotion.

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

God never audibly said no to me. But on the day I turned forty years old, the hope that swelled in my heart to have children one day wouldn’t rise above the floor. Before that moment, I’d gripped expectation and pled with my whole heart for God to give me babies. As far back as I could remember I wanted five, but I resolved to settle for just one—it never happened.

Chronic illness stole my child-bearing years, and although forty is not too old to conceive, I knew my window of opportunity had slammed shut. This realization shook me with grief. Throughout that day, even during a surprise birthday party orchestrated by my husband, one question burned in my mind: Why, God?

Looking back on my fortieth birthday (over a decade ago)—the day I knew the Lord’s answer to my prayer for children was no—I latched onto God’s words to….

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Trusting the Father When I Don't Understand | Melanie Redd Blog→

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Trusting the Father When I Don't Understand | Melanie Redd Blog

I’m honored to share one of the devotions found in my book 40 Days to God, My Father on my friend Melanie Redd’s blog this week. You can find an excerpt below and click the link to read the full devotion.

The tune of ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus plays softly in the background as I sit to tackle the day’s tasks before me. Deadlines loom, messages piling in my inbox scream for my attention, and a list of personal needs must be addressed. But the song catches my attention and its familiar lyrics slip easily from my tongue.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take him at his word;
Just to rest upon His promise;
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

I’m ushered into a holy moment—and I don’t want to miss it. The Lord prompts me to answer this question: Do I—and can I—trust Jesus? Memories flood my mind. All the hard trials that I didn’t—and still don’t fully—understand. My father’s debilitating health that began during my teenage years and eventually led to medication dependency. It wrecked our family.

My chronic illness diagnosis at age twenty-six and all the dreams shattered by the years I suffered with it. Times of financial upheaval and anxiety about the future— the list could go on. I bet yours could, too. 

Then I recall verses I memorized as a youth…

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How God Comforts Us: 4 Special Ways | Butterfly Living

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How God Comforts Us: 4 Special Ways | Butterfly Living

I’m honored to be a guest at ButterflyLiving.org. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full article.

“BEEP  B-E-E-P!” Our family’s brown Toyota Corolla’s horn echoed off the walls of the rock-walled tunnel we zipped through in the Smoky Mountains.

Daddy held his heavy hand down on the horn from the moment we entered the tunnel until our car popped into the sunshine on the other side. Belly laughs, and joyful squeals rang out from the back seat where I sat, squished between my brother and sister.

Being the youngest child, I was always summoned to sit in the middle. I abhorred the position most of the time, but my childhood family vacations only happened once a year, and I was glad for any place to enjoy the ride.

As the daughter of a pastor whose life seemed to always be under our small town’s microscope, I relished a week of uninterrupted time with Daddy and the rest of my family.

We enjoyed our adventures by dashing through the dark tunnels along the Smoky Mountain National Park highway with our car horns blaring. But other dark tunnels I’ve traveled through have not brought such exuberance. And one of those tunnels was a different kind of adventure…

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Trading Fear For Joy | Core Christianity

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Trading Fear For Joy | Core Christianity

I’m honored to be a guest at Core Christianity. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full article.

All my life, I’ve wanted to be the brave one—even though I cling to life’s safety zone. So, when I asked my family to take part in a whitewater rafting adventure, they met my request with wide eyes. After the initial shock, they willingly agreed—and that’s how our family vacation to the Smokey Mountains began.

When the day for the adventure arrived, I bounced in the seat of the retired school bus that wound up the mountainside. Filled with nervous excitement, I sat up straight and tucked my feet underneath the bench as our tour guide explained the safety procedures for our whitewater rafting experience.

Once he started listing the possible catastrophes and how to avoid them, it took all of five seconds before I regretted the whole thing. My perceived bravery….

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3 Steps to Gain Hope in Life’s Disappointment

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3 Steps to Gain Hope in Life’s Disappointment

Life will bring disappointment to each of us. Discouragement knocks when a valued relationship suddenly ends, we’re denied the job opportunity, or an unexpected health crisis throws us into a tailspin. I’ve endured all these things.

One particular season filled with disappointment was the long years of chronic illness I endured because of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Stripped of my independence, enduring physical pain, and watching my friends celebrate milestones that seemed impossible for me weighed heavy on my heart. 

When fall rolled around, I experienced another blow to my spirit. I was unable to return to my role as a classroom teacher.

I watched the yellow school buses drive by my house, signifying the beginning of schoolhouse festivities. Yet I sat in the same place as….

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Overcoming Fear and Walking in Faith | A Character Study of Moses→

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Overcoming Fear and Walking in Faith | A Character Study of Moses

I’m honored to be a guest at Living By Design. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full article.

Years of chronic illness, sudden shifts in circumstances, and long seasons of difficulty decreased my confidence and increased my anxiety.

What if I get it wrong? 
How do I find the strength to show up? 
Where do I find the resources I need to complete the task?

Many of the saints of old from the Bible faced the same battle. By their examples, we find hard-won lessons to glean from––and promises to cling to––which can help us move forward and walk in faith.

One such example is Moses. By pondering the character of Moses, we can…

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Finding God's Presence in Clouds of Uncertainty→

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Finding God's Presence in Clouds of Uncertainty

I’m honored to have an article published in the Just Between Us Print Magazine, “Finding God’s Presence in the Clouds,”Spring 2024. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to order to continue reading.

I wrapped the pink towel around my neck to support the weight of my head––the only answer to the screaming muscles in my weakened neck. Clumsily, I stooped to secure the leash to my yorkie’s collar and guided him down the porch steps as the screen door banged behind us. 

We slowly wound the path around the mountainside next to the rented farmhouse that I had called home for the last two years. This farmhouse was a place that represented so many fulfilled dreams––a new job that offered independence after college graduation, a life in the NC mountains, and budding friendships that solidified around its table––and it was the home I was preparing to bid goodbye.

My declining health was robbing me of the ability to support myself financially and meant that I would ….

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Daily Treasure Guest Appearance

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Daily Treasure Guest Appearance

I’m honored to be a guest writer at the Daily Treasure blog this week.

Below is an excerpt of the introduction provided by Sharon Betters and the links for each day will follow. I’m also including a link to the Help & Hope podcast where I joined Sharon to share more of my story of chronic illness and God’s faithfulness through it.

Sharon’s intro begins:

Dear Friends,

Ann Swindell, a Help & Hope podcast guest and founder of Writing with Grace, introduced me to Rosann Coulon when I asked her if she could recommend some of her students as guest writers for Daily Treasure. I’m so grateful to Ann for this connection. Rosann not only wrote this week’s devotions but also joined me as a guest on the Help & Hope podcast. In Monday’s devotional, Rosann shared Psalm 34:6 as Today’s Treasure: 

THIS POOR MAN CRIED AND THE LORD HEARD HIM AND DELIVERED HIM OUT OF ALL HIS TROUBLES.

These words immediately took me back to 1968. I was twenty years old, living in Indiana by myself, brokenhearted by my break up with the young man who would later become my husband. I was lonely, afraid, and uncertain of my future. In those days, churches never locked their doors, so out of desperation for hope, I slipped into the little church I attended and walked up to the Communion Table where I found an open Bible. Tears streaming down my cheeks, I whispered, “Lord, help me. I don’t know how to do this.” The Bible was open to Psalm 34 and truly, the words were like fresh water for a parched soul. Rosann’s experience with this hope-filled chapter reminded me once more of God’s faithfulness to a broken-hearted young woman, not only then, but throughout my entire life. On her blog, Leavingawell.com Rosann explains her mission:

“I’ve served in church ministry in some capacity most of my life and now feel compelled to offer encouragement to women who find themselves heartbroken, burned out, and struggling to be enough. All of these things led me into a valley of dis-ease physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually….

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A Different Kind of Hunger: Fasting to Increase Our Faith→

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A Different Kind of Hunger: Fasting to Increase Our Faith

I’m honored to be a guest at Living By Design. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full article.

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done––but I did it. I completed a 21-day Daniel Fast for the first time. 

Choosing to abstain from meat, dairy, and sugar was difficult, but it increased my faith in ways I never expected.

After a season of grief and unending trials, I felt disjointed and stagnant in my soul. My health was suffering from bad food choices and a lack of discipline. 

Along with that, I was praying some big prayers––for the healing of a loved one, direction in my writing ministry, and salvation for lost family members. 

One day, kneeling with my forehead resting on my Bible, the Spirit …

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When the Fallen Pastor is Your Father | TGC

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When the Fallen Pastor is Your Father | TGC

This is my latest article published with The Gospel Coalition. Click the link to read the full article.

I’m the daughter of a pastor who fell into prescription drug abuse.

My early years are full of happy memories of a father who was present, engaged, and loving. But when I was 15 years old, my father began experiencing chronic headaches and pain. He started taking medication that was meant to help him recover, but for the next 20 years, these drugs were a source of great harm as my father fell into addiction and substance abuse.

It’s big news when a pastor falls from grace, and there are countless stories of how this affects churches. When you’re on the outside looking in, it’s easy to make assumptions and judgments about the pastor and his choices. But it’s hard to live through when….

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When It's Difficult to Praise God

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When It's Difficult to Praise God

I’m honored to be a guest on Hosanna Revival’s WHEN blog. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full devotion.

When seasons of darkness linger, it can be difficult to raise our voices in hallelujahs. 

My own darkness came during a long season of physical and emotional pain brought on by chronic illness. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome both robbed me of the ability to care for myself beyond my basic needs. And with my husband’s job keeping him out of town more than at home, I found myself alone for days on end.

On one particularly tough day, after seven days and six long nights alone, I felt the taupe walls of my living room closing in on me. With tears streaming, I cried out to God, “Lord, please help me.” A hush filled the room as I heard the Spirit whisper to my heart, “Praise me here.”

Immediately recalling the story of Paul and Silas’ time in prison, I opened the pages of my Bible to read. After being beaten by a mob, Paul and Silas were thrown into the inner prison with their feet fastened in stocks (Acts 16:24). They were bruised, writhing in pain, stuck, and surrounded by harsh conditions.

I felt the same.

The next words I read were fresh water to my thirsty soul…

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The Gift of Comfort

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The Gift of Comfort

I’m honored to be a guest on The Love Offering Blog with Rachael Adam’s. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full devotion.

One of the most powerful statements I’ve ever heard is, “I know.”

When my life was plagued by years of chronic illness brought on by Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, I often felt that no one in the world understood me. Questions swirled in my mind. Why me? Why this? And when will it end?

After one particularly long battle with insomnia that rolled in for several weeks, depression sank my heart into a bottomless pit. I could see no way out of the spiritual and physical struggle that I faced. Curled into a ball on my couch, a whisper slipped out, “Lord, help me.” At that moment, the phone rang and I answered to hear the kind voice of my aunt. “Rosann, I was praying for you and wanted to see how you are doing?”

“Not good.” I choked out the pain that consumed me and I told her about the drudgery I faced.

“I know.” Her compassion seeped through the line; it was all I needed to hear to gain composure.

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Look to God's Peace || Just Between Us

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Look to God's Peace || Just Between Us

I’m honored to have an article published with Just Between Us. To read the full article click the link below.

I could hear the low rumble of my car’s motor as the cool air from the AC blew strands of hair into my face. The summer heat in the South pushed a band of perspiration across my forehead, and with one swipe of my hand I pushed back the hair, patted the sweat, and wiped a stray tear from my eye. The urgent to-dos on my list overwhelmed me.

That’s why, for the second time that Sunday, I drove back to church in hopes of hearing something that would shake me out of the doldrums that I felt locked inside. As my grip tightened around the steering wheel, I whispered, “Help me, Lord.”

I heard His voice speak to my heart with a clear question, “What do you want me to do for you?”

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Chosen by God: Letting go of Rejection

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Chosen by God: Letting go of Rejection

I’m honored to be a contributor at the Gather at Dawn blog and app this week. You can read an excerpt below and follow the link to read the full devotion.

Rejection is hard to endure.

Standing on the playground, I drew swirly patterns in the dirt with my foot, carefully avoiding eye contact with my classmates. It was the same scene, year after year. Because my athletic skills were non-existent, I was among the last to be selected for their softballs teams, and it was painful to be overlooked time and time again.

Although I waited in the dirt many years ago, rejection has cycled in and out of my life.

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