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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