Salt and Light

Usually, I end these posts with a poem or song, but today I am going to begin with one SCARS by I Am They Waking up to a new sunrise Looking back from the other side I can see now with open eyes Darkest water and deepest pain I wouldn't trade it for anything 'Cause my brokenness brought me to You And these wounds are a story You'll use So I'm thankful for the scars 'Cause without them I wouldn't know Your heart And I know they'll always tell of who You are So forever I am thankful for the scars Now I'm standing in confidence With the strength of Your faithfulness And I'm not who I was before No, I don't have to fear anymore So I'm thankful for the scars 'Cause without them I wouldn't know Your heart And I know they'll always tell of who You are So forever I am thankful for the scars I've been thinking about pain, healing, and the scars that remain. I know a lot about scars because after my first knee surgery, I had hypertroph...

So I’m reading a book again, Captivating by Stasi Eldridge. This time, I am talking it out with a dear friend. I hate this book. Hated it the first time, too, because it convicts me. In the first chapter, it makes several statements. Here are some of them paraphrased: every woman is beautiful, every woman wants to be romanced, every woman wants to be involved in something bigger than themselves, every woman struggles with feeling like she is alone and not enough. The heart is the key to a woman, and we are all designed for relationships. For me, because of my past, I equate beauty with danger. I don’t want to be attractive, I want to be safe. Part two of this is that men are often not safe, so romance? I don’t think so. The desire to do something important to have an impact, I can relate to and agonize over. What am I doing, God? Am I leaving a legacy? Every time I could or should do better, I hear my mother’s voice in the background calling me to raise the bar, that I can do better if...