Articles

Christmas Hope and Your Suffering: Advent Devotional

Hope can feel hard to come by during the holidays, especially when you’re wracked with pain or weighed down with grief. Yes, it might be “the most wonderful time of the year” for some. But for others, it’s a season when wonderful times seem both far behind and far beyond them. Perhaps you fall into this latter category. If so, the incarnation may not seem like a relevant consolation. But consider this comforting truth as you weep and lament: Jesus wasn’t born to fail but to prove himself faithful.
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2 weeks ago

God’s Grace for Mom’s Unmerry Holiday

While the reasons for these seasonal struggles will vary from family to family, the need to depend on God’s sustaining grace remains the same. Thankfully, he doesn’t begrudge your neediness but welcomes it wholeheartedly! God knows that holidays can be hard days—that you can only endure them if he daily bears you up. Here are three specific ways that God ministers his grace to you during your unmerry holiday.
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1 month ago

God is Not Surprised by Your Postpartum Depression

When you feel overtaken by sorrow in motherhood, it’s good to remember that you are seen and surrounded by God. There are much-needed reminders about this reality in Psalm 139. As the writer marvels at God’s omniscience and omnipresence, at least three relevant applications to the experience of postpartum depression unfold.
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4 months ago

Rethinking Nostalgic Postpartum Advice

Nostalgic postpartum advice is certainly permissible, though it’s not always beneficial or edifying (1 Cor. 10:23). But when we take care to know a mother’s world before speaking to it, we can help her feel seen and understood. We can better encourage and build her up in Christ—whether she’s enjoying the season or not (1 Thess. 5:11).
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4 months ago

11 Free Resources on Biblical Lament

Biblical lament is something I've taught, spoken, and written about a number of times, but only recently did I come to realize that I had enough lament-related resources to share in one post! On this page, you'll find a few interviews from the Hope + Help Podcast archives on the topic of lament, as well as a number of articles that will help you to think more deeply about the topic. In addition, this post features two printables—one of which is brand new.
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5 months ago

The Gift and Skill of Praise in Lament

If you don’t tend to associate groaning to God with giving Him thanks, you’re not the only one. I confess there have been times when praising the Lord was nowhere near the top of my mind in my sorrow. But over the years, the Spirit has helped me to better understand these two contrasting ways of addressing our Heavenly Father—to see that we needn’t sacrifice praise on the altar of lament (or vice versa). Even our most desperate cries can be “couched in praise,” just as “[in] the context of praise, lament and even protest can be an important function of faith.”
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6 months ago

9 Podcasts (and a Free Printable) for Mental Disorders

Do you know what it is for a psychiatric diagnosis to throw you into a tailspin? I do. But I also know a God who offers stabilizing truths for the post-diagnosis journey—a God who makes his people fruitful in the land of their affliction (Gen. 41:52). In this post, you will find a collection of resources that seek to apply the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lived experience of issues labeled as mental disorders, as well as a new counseling card entitled "5 Gospel Realities to Remember When You've Been Diagnosed with a Mental Disorder."
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8 months ago

You Lamented—Now What?

“There’s a lot of talk about how to lament these days, but what do we do after—what comes next?” My friend’s question was intriguing. He was right to identify the need for extended reflection. After all, the moments following lament are just as important as the pain-pressed prayers themselves. We must choose to do something next, so what will it be? Withdraw in self-pity? Lash out at loved ones? Self-medicate with creature comforts? Give ourselves over to the futility of restlessness or the fruitlessness of resignation? We need wisdom, lest the choices we make do more harm than good. Because all of life is lived before God, how we move forward from lament truly matters. So what wisdom does he offer to us in these fragile and frustrated moments?
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11 months ago

Free Resources for Depressed Moms

This post contains articles, audios, videos, and downloads which were published during the launch of Midnight Mercies. All of these resources are free to access and available to freely share.
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12 months ago

4 Ways to Help a Depressed Mom

Surely somewhere in your close proximity, there’s a mother suffering from depression. As she attempts to beat back the darkness, you wonder how you can care for her. As featured at The Gospel Coalition.
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1 year ago

When the Clock Strikes Midnight: 3 Encouragements for Depressed Moms

If you’re feeling desperate for encouragement as you walk through the darkness of depression, I’d like to pass along a few statements which ministered to me. The Spirit used each of these fitly spoken words to give me strength and insight on my journey. By God’s mercy and grace, I pray they will serve you just the same. As featured at Risen Motherhood.
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1 year ago

BCC Blog: Why I Wrote Midnight Mercies

My intent is that any mother who knows what it’s like to groan, "I feel depressed" will find comfort and counsel in these pages. As featured at the Biblical Counseling Coalition.
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1 year ago

Three Benefits of Audio-Based Homework

In this article, I suggest three benefits for utilizing audio-based assignments, particularly in situations where counselees are suffering from the kind of cognitive impairment that makes concentration and comprehension extremely difficult.
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1 year ago