Allison McCormick | The Grit and Grace Project

God’s Strength is Found in the Hard Places

The surgeries started in her early 20s, and for the next 10 years, 12 would follow. The scars on her abdomen ran from a few inches above her belly button to pelvic bone and from hip to hip. She often joked that it looked like a ship’s anchor. The surgeries had taken away her most precious dream, having a baby, and it left her confused about her future and purpose. Some 20 years later, another surgery. This time leaving scars that traced the outline of her breastbone and two, one that resembled a cross and the other appeared as a lopsided “X” just below her left rib cage. The scars from her past and these new additions were separated by a three-inch […]

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porcelain tea cup and tea pot on a wooden tray

Watch for Warnings Signs So You’re Not Left with Broken Pieces

By Allison McCormick / Faith

Whoever said a watched pot never boils has no clue about the world of making Chai tea. No matter how I watch the pot, it has a way of turning from a few bubbles forming along the rim of the cup to an active volcano in seconds—well, probably not even that long. It happens fast, leaving me with the golden liquid covering the cooktop and forming little charred blobs on the burner. I’m telling you, I stand at the stove watching for that very first bubble, hand ready to turn off the burner, and wham, tea spews from the pot to the stove. Believe me when I tell you I was watching it. Well, except for that split second when I turned

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God's Christmas gifts: new life (part 1)

What God Wants to Give Us for Christmas: New Life (Part 1)

By Allison McCormick / Faith

Christmas is days away and I am so excited about sharing this special day with my husband and family. The year started as the previous. A time of anticipation, yet each day filled with the comfortable routine of the past. Until a burning pain in my chest turned my normal into a test of trust. I had felt the pain before and knew I needed to get to the hospital. Physicians quickly realized the stent placed to repair a blockage in my heart had failed. Surgery was required. I kissed my husband, climbed onto the gurney, and was whisked away to the surgical suite. Life Is a Gift! Several hours later, I woke to the chirping and pinging of machines. One was

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woman sitting on couch looking hopefully out the window ready with steps to move on

Ready to Move On? 4 Steps to Leave Brokenness Behind

By Allison McCormick / Faith

I have some sweet friends who have family living in their office closet. It started a few years ago and has grown from one to two, and finally three. They often tease that there is no more room for another urn or sealed box. And I’m earnestly praying they don’t have to expand their relative’s memorial to another space. Recently they shared that the closet was being emptied. Each loved one was going to their final resting place. And with each departure, I wondered if there wasn’t a sense of sadness mixed with perhaps a little relief. It can be hard to live waiting for the past to move on. Is Your Past or Pain Keeping You Hidden Away? I lived in

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Stuck In Shame? Find Freedom from Your Past!

By Allison McCormick / Faith

I’m always surprised at how much our past can follow us around. It shows up when we are weak or vulnerable and often pokes at us when our guard is down. For me, my past resulted in a heart filled with shame. It came to visit me for the first time when I was 5. It started as an innocent hug and progressed to repeated betrayal. He was old enough to be my grandpa, a neighbor that could not control his brokenness and obsessions. I was left with this overwhelming sense that I had done something wrong, and doing something wrong turned into being someone wrong, and that leaves a lasting impression on a young heart. Shame: A Repeat Visitor Shame visited

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a group of racially different women laughing and drinking tea together as an act of forming a unified world

Longing for a Unified World? Here’s Where to Start

By Allison McCormick / Life & Culture

As a child, I didn’t think much about race. I knew I looked different from most of the kids in my elementary school, but I made friends across the spectrum of faces and colors. I lived with an innocence that allowed me to be unburdened by the hue of my skin. I entered junior high with the same naive perspective. But three short years later, my innocence was replaced by a startling awareness that who I was and how I was received by my peers was influenced by my skin color and the texture of my hair. Race had become an entry requirement for social groups and defined my allegiances. My high school was predominately African American with a sprinkling of hispanic,

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Finding Purpose When Another Door Closes

By Allison McCormick / Purpose

It was a Friday afternoon, long after the rest of the staff had left. The celebration was over and the building was still and quiet. I walked to my office and leaned against the doorway, cardboard box in hand. I thought about the years spent within these four walls, the conversations, the accomplishments, and the many challenges. A career ended far too soon. I spent the next few minutes packing years’ worth of memories into the box, glanced fondly out the window, walked out the office, down the hallway, and out the building—the front door closing behind me. I can vividly remember the feeling of cold air hitting my face as I stepped off the sidewalk. It was November, a fitting month

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black and white image of a boardwalk cutting through the middle of a swamp. Feature image for the article titled 3 Things to Consider When You Feel Overwhelmed by Loss

3 Things to Consider When You Feel Overwhelmed by Loss

By Allison McCormick / Faith

It’s that time of year when our graduating high school seniors are preparing for college or the next giant step in their young lives. And although there is excitement about those next steps, some mamas are struggling. Their worlds are about to shift in monumental ways: their babies are untethering the apron strings and these women are wondering how they will fill the gap that remains. An impending sense of loss is creeping into their very uncertain hearts. Loss Leads to Change Loss can visit us through so many different paths. It collides with the woman whose little one passes before they experience the brightness of noonday. It strikes the heart of the wife whose husband leaves, causing her to wonder what

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Advice for the Woman Who’s Not Happy in Front of the Mirror

By Allison McCormick / Faith

My mother had me late in life. So, by the time I was 12, she was nearing the magic age of 50. I remember sitting in her bedroom while she dressed in the mornings. We would talk about my plans for the day. And as I sat there, my mind would drift, “I wonder if I’ll look like my mom when I grow up?” She was a small-framed, almost frail, woman, with what she endearingly called her “baby belly pouch.” It hung right above her panty-line. I can remember she always tried to hide as she dressed almost like she was just a little embarrassed or uncomfortable for my 12-year-old eyes to see her nakedness. Her behavior left an impression on my

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Anxious? Looking for a Refuge?

By Allison McCormick / Faith, Best Of

I woke at 1:30 AM. Fully alert and rehashing the events from the previous day. I was angry, anxious, and agitated by people’s lack of integrity. Their unwillingness to be accountable for their actions and words. I choreographed responses, planned for the potential encounter, and waited for sleep to return. The bedside alarm clock measured the minutes: 2:30… 3:30… 3:45. When finally, my mind calmed enough to allow me to fall back to sleep. Waking again to the sound of our dog jumping off the bed, his ID tags acting as an alarm as they jingled against his collar. It was 5:20 AM and I gave up the notion of sleep. Once on my feet, I made my way to my office.

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How to Find R.E.S.T. In the Midst of Your Struggles

By Allison McCormick / Faith, Best Of

We found ourselves standing on opposite sides of the front door. I stood on the inside, tentative and shaking. He was positioned on the outside, his hands clenched, forming fists, and his jaw locked firmly in place. We had found ourselves in this position before but this time his anger ignited and his fists raised, slowly and deliberately. I’m not certain where I found the courage, but I looked into his eyes, took one step towards him, and whispered a single sentence: “Be very careful—if you do this, it will be the last time you see me.” In the coming days, I collected his clothes, gathered a few household items, placed them all in a large box, and sat the box outside

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What God Wants to Give Us for Christmas: Eternal Life (Part 2)

By Allison McCormick / Faith

Click here to read Part One of “What God Wants to Give Us for Christmas.“ I was so excited this past Christmas about the gift I selected for my husband! It was something he needed, never expected, and actually never considered. His home office chair was made up of bits and pieces from an 8-year-old chair and parts found at a thrift store. It worked and he was excited about his creation. Yet I noticed that as he spent time in the chair, he slowly lowered. The hydraulics no longer worked. And at 6’2”, you need a chair’s hydraulics to work. Otherwise, you look like a giant sitting in a child’s chair—his knees creeping close to his ears. So, his present was

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Can Redemptive Love Overcome Racial Division?

By Allison McCormick / Life & Culture, Best Of

Early morning is my favorite time of day, and the best part of those special moments is time spent around the table with my husband. We share breakfast, cups of steaming tea, and discuss what is on our hearts. It is a treasured time that we try to maintain through the demands of our full schedules. During one of our morning chats, we reminisced about a recent trip: A drive from Oregon to California along a scenic byway that took us through open fields, along the edges of tall summits, and through a swarm of grasshoppers (I’ll save the explanation of the insect invasion for another time). An Unusual Confession We left the tranquility of Oregon and hit a wall of traffic

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If God Feels Distant, Move Closer—Here’s How

By Allison McCormick / Faith

I recently met a young woman for coffee. She was busy doing life – running multiple little ones from school to their next activity, nurturing a fledgling career, attending to an exasperated husband, and to top it off, she just learned the family dog is expecting puppies. It’s life with all its challenges and gifts. As we nestled into the corner of the coffee shop, mugs in hand, my young friend began to share. She paused mid-sentence, took a deep breath, and announced, “God feels distant.” Her statement caught me off guard. You have to understand, this woman prays and reads her Bible religiously, attends church faithfully, and even serves in the children’s program. Yet, this morning her faith is shaky. She

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12 Years of Suffering Led to Surrender—Then Hope

By Allison McCormick / Faith, Audio Articles

(Listen to the audio version of this article here.) Twelve years of suffering is more than anyone should have to bear. Yet that is where she found herself, standing in the doorway of her life. One foot firmly planted in the reality of her circumstance and the other searching for the hope of a new beginning. From her vantage point in the doorway, she could see Him. He was surrounded by the crowd, his shoulders pressed against humanity. The mob pushed and shoved him as they made their way down the narrow street. He rounded the corner. She raised to her toes to catch a final glimpse, leaned forward, gathered every ounce of courage available, and stepped off the porch into the

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Are the Ghosts of Your Past Still Living With You?

By Allison McCormick / Faith, Audio Articles

(Listen to the audio version of this article here.) The small, blue house trimmed in bright white sits at the end of a dead-end street. Built in the late 1940s, it was taken down to the studs and thoughtfully reimagined. White tree roses line the walkway and embrace the foundation. Raised garden beds are carefully placed throughout the backyard, angled just right to catch the morning and mid-day sun. Large ceramic bowls, filled with water, and wooden feeders provide refuge for the local birds and a source of exasperation for the resident squirrels. Have You Found Freedom from Your Past, or Do You Live With It? A heart-shaped wreath invites you through the front door. Artwork and handmade quilts grace the walls.

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Are You Abandoning Your Beliefs to Fit In?

By Allison McCormick / Faith

What a curious thing, how life circumstances teach us about the hidden aspects of our souls. Those inconsistent behaviors we can easily see in others but remain a mystery as we assess our lives. Recently, the inconsistencies of my character were revealed. My husband and I received a call from our lawyer’s office. He wanted to let us know our documents were ready to sign. We made an appointment and headed to his office. The signing process took less than 20 minutes, and we were back in the car headed home. A few days later, my husband received a very formal email from the law firm. It informed us that during our brief stay in the office, we had “potentially been exposed

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