The correct response to evil

When Saul chased David, David never retaliated in violence. He remained meek and humble, like Christ, and didn't even hold a grudge against Saul. May I respond the same way to those who attack me, God. May I be wise enough to handle such situations correctly by the Holy Spirit. May the cruelty of people not change who I am in Christ.

A lament

Lord, I am overwhelmed. Caught up in the world's frantic pace, I've drifted from You. Draw me near again....

Father, I just can't fill every spare moment with activity. Doing so makes me wilt, not thrive. Right now I just long to hide away from this world of competition and hypocrisy.

Every day I long to go out in nature, to see creation...yet I am trapped in this prison, the Babylon system. Ravens fly in the sunlight like bits of midnight at noon, yet I live in the shadows between the walls. Will the light ever touch my skin?

Mist covered the land this morning...such a beautiful, mysterious sight. The quietness contributed to the beauty. Babylon despises silence and solitude. Why have You made me this way, so shy and quiet? There must be a reason, because You don't make mistakes.

Identity restoration

During my last year of grad school, I made the decision to recover from anorexia.

God gently convicted me that I was going to kill myself. Anorexia gave me a false sense of control. Recovery was the first step toward learning to accept myself.

At first I felt terrified. What if I became fat? Yet fat was better than dead....After I started eating normally again, though, I only gained five pounds.

Anorexia was the result of self rejection, but I became kinder toward myself after I recovered. Recovery made me healthier physically, mentally, and spiritually. Ironically, I also became a good cook.

Anorexia stole my identity for a time, but recovery restored my true personality. When I was starving, all I could think about was food. After recovery, I was able to think about other things again.