A Grit and Grace Life of Faith

Finding God In the Waiting Room

“Please have a seat in the waiting room, someone will be with you shortly,” replied the receptionist at the check-in desk. My husband and I went to sit down in the waiting room as directed. As we sat on the industrial chairs, I started to look around at my surroundings. I hadn’t eaten in almost a day and hadn’t consumed fluids in over 18 hours. I think I would have just been sick if only I had the energy at this point to even get sick. We may have only waited for almost an hour but it felt like days. Between the TV and the murmur of conversations, the waiting room was quiet but noisy at the same time. My husband worked […]

Finding God In the Waiting Room Read More »

What Not to Say to a New Widow

By Marlys Johnson Lawry / Life & Culture, Faith

One of my young friends, Charity, lost her husband and 3-year-old son in a tragic way. Two weeks into widowhood and deep grief, a family member said to her in exasperation, “When are you going to get over this?” When a fellow nursing student learned of Charity’s indescribable loss, it made her feel physically ill. “When something that big happens to someone you care about,” she said, “people don’t know how to handle it. So they run away because it’s very painful to be around the person. I let Charity know I was available. And I wasn’t afraid to hear her trauma.” It’s important to acknowledge the losses and sorrows of our friends and family and neighbors, and to walk toward them

What Not to Say to a New Widow Read More »

Are You Tired of Waiting On God? Focus On These 5 Things

By Kelsey Adam / Faith

Waiting well. It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? I mean, who likes to wait? I find myself getting anxious and discontent when I am sitting in the waiting room at my doctor’s office and it is only five minutes past my initial appointment time. We are a people who do not like to wait. Heck, we even have apps that allow us to pre-order our vanilla lattes from Starbucks just so we don’t have to wait in line when we pick it up. We live in a fast-paced society that thrives on instant anything! So, when we hear the words “waiting well,” it would obviously sound foreign and even impossible for us to accomplish in our lives. Whether we’re waiting in the

Are You Tired of Waiting On God? Focus On These 5 Things Read More »

Harvest Some Positivity This Spring

By Kimberly Trigo / Faith

We recently celebrated the first day of spring. The sun has melted away the 20-degree temps we awoke to. Makes me think Mother Nature was hibernating herself. I was born in the spring. My birthday has even landed on Easter a couple times, which was way more exciting when you were a kid. I would get a big chocolate bunny on my birthday cake. I love how in the spring you can see everything come to life. The trees, the seedlings, the flowers. My favorite flower has always been a daisy even before Drew Barrymore rocked them in the 90s. Spring Is a Fresh Start Not sure if it’s the flowers or the fruits, but there’s something about spring that excites my

Harvest Some Positivity This Spring Read More »

The Hope of Easter Restores All Things

By Carolyn Gordon / Faith

It was just two weeks after Easter in 2005. My Papa was nearing the end of his long battle with cancer. Family and close friends traveled from near and far just to be in his presence one last time. The hospital room grew crowded and heavier as the time drew near. He said his final words to us, and solidified his promise to us: “I’ll see you in the morning!” The grandkids, myself included, were sent away to get lunch. When we returned and the elevator doors opened to his hospital room floor, laughter could be heard from down the hallway, a sound not unfamiliar in my family, especially in my Papa’s presence. But this time, the laughter was a result of

The Hope of Easter Restores All Things Read More »

God Led Me to Find Rest in Chautauqua

By Eve DeBardeleben Roebuck / Faith

I hadn’t really wanted to get up when the alarm went off, but I did because she’d asked me to come. This was the daughter who’d recently begun to like me again, and I wasn’t going to miss it. Josie Love was in art school for the summer and had invited me for her mid-summer show at Chautauqua. Our friends had a 100-year-old summer home just off the lake there and offered it to me during my visit. I had no idea what an offer it would be, except that I had the entire place to myself. Once I saw the sleeping porch on top of the house, I knew this was my choice for where I’d spend my time. The view

God Led Me to Find Rest in Chautauqua Read More »

What this California Girl Learned from Her First Hibernation

By Kimberly Trigo / Faith, Best Of

Winters chill keeps us inside. Inside our homes and inside our heads. I had never noticed before the beauty in winter. The beauty that comes from just stopping and resting and letting go of the chase and hustle, even just for a season. Maybe I had never noticed it before because I have spent all my winters in California and this winter, I was in Tennessee. It was cold and wet. Now, I must wait a few more days for the start of spring to do the things I need to do. Waiting in Winter Waiting is hard for me. I am a person who is always busy, and although in recent years I have learned to slow down and take care

What this California Girl Learned from Her First Hibernation Read More »

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

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

My Story from the Downstairs Church with Caroline Beidler

By Caroline Beidler / Faith

Caroline Beidler, MSW, came charging into our world at Grit and Grace Life with a laser-focused sense of direction. Her life has been reclaimed, and she knows it. Her sense of purpose has been clear from the moment she entered our door—no one here had to convince her of it or help her discover it. We simply wanted to help provide a platform to share it, because we believe in her, and we believe in her desire to help others. We’ve enjoyed her talent as a writer, we’ve become acquainted with her heart, and it’s all so vulnerably lovely. So, what greater privilege could we have than the opportunity to share the grand news that she’s written a book? (We always knew

My Story from the Downstairs Church with Caroline Beidler Read More »

100 Things a Grit and Grace Woman Believes

Finding Your Grit Just When You’re Sure You Don’t Have Any

By Cherie Shaw / Faith

Some of life’s storms come and go with little impact on our daily lives and hardly disrupt our normal routines. Some storms of life are just a bother, leaving no rubble in their passing. But others rush in, demand our attention, and throw us around like a forgotten lawn chair during a fierce hurricane. These monster storms pass, too. And as they do, we may sit stunned at just how much has toppled, just how much has come undone, just how easily our strength blew away in the wind. Do I have enough grit to weather the storm? The wind is blowing now. I see leaves clinging with full resolve to their branch. They hold on trying to beat the odds, trying

Finding Your Grit Just When You’re Sure You Don’t Have Any Read More »

How One Stranger Changed My Perspective on Pain

By Amy Saxby / Faith

I’ve always been a fan of walking. Walking with friends or alone has always brought me joy. Last spring when I began teaching remotely from my house, I would slip out during the lunch hour to step away from my computer screen, get some fresh air and move my body. I would turn on a podcast, or some music and walk as quickly as I could over to a nearby elementary school. Next to the school is a paved walking path that winds around a soccer field. At one end of the path is a trail leading into the woods where the school has a handful of beautiful outdoor classrooms. Some days, I meander among the trees and alongside the brook in

How One Stranger Changed My Perspective on Pain Read More »

Facing a Health Scare? Questions You Need to Ask Yourself

By Rachel Hagstrom / Faith

It all hit within 48 hours of one another. First, my husband left for a week of work travel overseas while our two daughters were sick, hacking and sneezing in between fever-induced sleep. Then, I received word that my dad was admitted to a South American hospital with COVID. Finally, the blow: a pelvic exam that warranted surprise ultrasounds. I was two steps out of my doctor’s office when my discouragement rose with a resurgence. In the days leading up to the tests, my mind became a breeding ground for every possible scenario (Side note: attempting to self-diagnose with “Dr. Google” is never a good idea). My emotions teetered on a pendulum between trust and terror. God is in all of this…

Facing a Health Scare? Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Read More »

I Found Freedom After Sharing My Painful Story

By Eve DeBardeleben Roebuck / Faith

What do you do when one of your best college friends moves to the beach? You round up the rest of the gang and head down to see her. This is just what we’ve done for the last several years, and it’s come in the nick of time for some whose lives are wearing thin. While we’re often in touch with updates and prayers, getting together yearly at Fernandina Beach as we’ve just done last week is the highlight. We spend evenings outside after supper, catching up as the sun goes down. One night, there was such an astonishing sunset, no one thought to snap a photo. We gaped instead. Later, when the moon rose and the clouds parted and the light

I Found Freedom After Sharing My Painful Story Read More »

Annoyed by Interruptions? My Trick to Welcoming Them

By Amy Geiger / Faith, Best Of

I live in a constant state of interruption. Two minutes ago, my 18-month-old son ripped my half-written grocery list out of my hand while my daughter screamed because she couldn’t find her shoes. One minute ago, my son pulled my daughter’s full-length mirror off the wall. Good grief, I just needed ten minutes. As a teacher, I face expected and important interruptions all day long and then I finally sit down at my desk to plan out lessons and grade papers and then I get a phone call from my husband about home management and doctor’s appointments. Good grief, I just needed ten minutes. Do you ever feel like your life is interrupting your life? What If Interruptions Are Actually Purposeful? When

Annoyed by Interruptions? My Trick to Welcoming Them Read More »

5 Everyday Spiritual Practices to Grow Your Faith

By Caroline Beidler / Faith

When my pastor recently asked our small group what actions we could commit to taking this week to increase practicing faith in an authentic way, I paused. What came to mind was a series of events from my twenties when life was simple, a bit more melancholic, and I had time for things like spiritual practices and disciplines. During my mid-twenties as a new(ish) convert, I devoured every book I could get my hands on about spiritual formation, long before I even knew that was what I was reading. I sang psalms and wrote new ones as I strummed an out-of-tune black guitar with nail-bitten and calloused fingers. I read and read and read and met some of the greats like Yancey

5 Everyday Spiritual Practices to Grow Your Faith Read More »

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.

Anxious? Looking for a Refuge? Read More »

God Met Me at the Doctor’s Office

By Amy Saxby / Faith, Best Of

I was so overwhelmed last week. And then God met me. But if I hadn’t been paying attention, I don’t think I would have noticed. I took a day off work because I had four doctor’s appointments in one day. The week had been a busy one. My personal children had a lot on their plate. The academic quarter was ending, so they were overwhelmed with homework. We had many sports commitments on the calendar and places to be. My teaching life was filled with papers to grade, students I was concerned about, and meetings to be had. I felt stretched. Too far. Guilt of a Working Mom Many times, I wondered and questioned why I chose to be a working mom

God Met Me at the Doctor’s Office Read More »