Faithful Writers

unsplash.com For many true followers, a day will come when stepping away from the traditional church setting won’t just be an option, but a necessity. I know nobody asked for my two cents on this, but I’m in a mood today. Why of all days?  Because I’ve been thinking a lot about the state of the church in America. Everywhere I look, I see these giant buildings with plush carpet, polished wooden pews, and not a penny spared on the pulpit, and it finally just rubbed that one last nerve cell I had left. Churches, everywhere,  are dropping like flies under the weight of the world at a pace that makes me think I’m living having a bad dream, or in a B-rated movie sometimes. But then I realize I’m awake. I grew up always knowing there were the dos and don’ts in the Christian faith, regardless of denomination; well, that’s gone out the window quite spectacularly lately, and what hit me over the last few days is this:  We are truly witnessing the collapse of “the church” in America; there’s no stopping it, the dominoes have been flicked.  Maybe it’s time for a couch session? I’m serious, but not to take a nap on, or sprawl out on, and lay out your worries to a therapist because we can’t handle a bumped knee or side eye anymore. But a couch and maybe whatever random chairs you can find, all in a circle in a living room in someone's house.  To find God once again with friends and family, laughing and crying, venting and praising, all mixed together and out of the scheduled order of a church. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I suggested that? If you thought, Heck no, I love my church. Well, kudos to you. Just double-check why  you love it so much.  If you're in the opposite boat, maybe it’s time to try something else?  You do know you don’t need a building called a church to have church, right? And it sure as heck isn’t required to be on Sunday, but that’s a whole different topic for a different day, let’s just focus on what the priority is right now. Your relationship with Christ. A time will come when you can’t get that in a church. Wait, let me rephrase that.  A time will come when that won’t be allowed  in churches. Every day, more churches are falling to this world's demands. Not God’s. Maybe this nation needs that. Maybe the churches that serve themselves need to be brought to their knees? Not harsh, just truth. The church in America (actually all over) is rapidly changing and declining, and by that I mean Christianity as a whole at this point is declining.  I know I‘m not the only one sensing the end of the Christian church around the corner.  Well, I shouldn’t say “end” per se, maybe more like a major product overhaul and rebranding, complete with extra added additives that make people sicker. Leave the walls behind I don’t think it would be a bad thing, to be completely honest. Something needs to happen because Christianity, real Christianity, the Bible-believing kind of Christianity, is disappearing before your eyes and being replaced with pseudo-Christianity.  Now, if you're where God wants you to be, stay there, and listen to what He’s telling you to do or say. We are capable of planting seeds in a Godless church. But if you're feeling something deep down in your soul, listen and pray. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone; the only thing that’s good for is a participation trophy that isn’t going to impress God on judgment day anyway.  Open your Bibles, do not rely on humanity to teach you the word of God; that’s God’s job. Consider a home Bible study with friends and family. Consider there are many, many other ways to be a community of believers that break away those damn walls that are stifling the Holy Spirit from doing His thing. Here me out I don’t pray for God to speed up His timing towards Revelation; I’m not in a mindset of wanting churches to collapse in order to herald Him closer, not even close. What I want is Christianity back and not butchered, and the ones doing the butching brought to their knees.  Because I believe that exposing the false teachings out there will encourage people to get off the dang fence they are straddling and take a stand, one way or the other, and draw them back to each other in God’s company . Learning and studying His word together as I should truly be. So I say: More God. Less Walls. And find that comfy couch. © Jane Isley Like what you read? Help keep the kettle warm by buying me a cup of tea  — every sip sparks a new idea and supports my work. 💡

unsplash.com By Guest Writer:   Sienna Krieg Dear Non-Christians, I wanted to write this letter to you because you are loved. And I desperately hope you know that. There is so much hate and tension between us, and I want it gone. It’s tough to come to terms with Christianity, Jesus, and God. It’s tough to come to terms with atheism, agnosticism, and other beliefs. Let’s face it, it’s hard to comprehend beliefs that we are unfamiliar with . And it’s even harder to understand beliefs we strongly disagree with. I’ve been on both sides of the coin, one where I didn’t understand Jesus and the other, entirely devoting my life to Jesus. It’s really funny how life, or to me, God, works. Just when you think you really know something, a new revelation occurs that completely changes your worldview. The truth is, constantly getting humbled is a part of life. I’m writing this letter to acknowledge that not everything I say is correct. I have been aggressive about my standpoints in Christianity, and I apologize for that. I am passionate about Christ, and that will never change. But instead of being aggressive about it, I want to be gentle yet assertive. I know many other Christians struggle with gently talking to non-Christians. Many times, we are so passionate and caught up in ‘being right’ that we end up being hostile towards others. It’s a fine line that we cross, because for us, Jesus is ‘ the truth, the way, the life’. Sometimes we get caught up in trying to win an argument, rather than gently planting seeds. My honest opinion is that you will encounter many other Christians who will be hostile towards you for your views, but you will also meet Christians who accurately spread God’s Word without trying to fight you. My hope is that you will not judge all Christians based on a few individuals, but rather judge each person individually. Everyone is on their own journey, and many have not yet learned to ‘be quick to listen, but slow to speak’ (James 1:19). Christians are not perfect, just as everyone else is not perfect. It’s uncomfortable facing the truth of our humanity, and I hope we can all at least agree with that. But I do want you to know, there is a God who loves you and is waiting for you. He will never turn away from you, and is hoping that you will come to Him. Even if you want to scream at Him, question Him, or talk to Him, He will be glad that you are at least having some sort of connection with Him. God loves it when you make an effort to know Him. And if you aren’t ready for that, take some time to ponder my love letter to you all. Ask me questions, challenge me in the comments. You might be confused about how this is a love letter, but I want you to know that you are loved, regardless of whether you believe in the Lord or not. I love you, my neighbor, and want to represent to YOU what Christ has done for me and countless others. You are wonderfully and uniquely made. I pray that this message finds you and plants a seed. Love, Sienna. © Sienna Krieg

unsplash What can I say, I love me some good ole Psalms, and I feel this one should be said as often as Psalms 23. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you — the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” This ☝ ️is a steadfast reminder of where our true help comes from. We are called to recognize that our strength and protection do not originate from anything in the world around us, but from God and only God. If you're facing uncertainty or bracing to go headlong into a storm, this passage will point you toward God and remind you that  you are never alone. Constant vigilance over His people.  “The Lord watches over you” He never sleeps; think about that.  Eyes always watching, always guiding, always steps ahead of us to protect us. His presence is our continual safeguard.  Let Him in, so you can rest.  Let Him take charge, let Him protect you and guide you. Take a step backwards into His presence and His arms and just be. God’s care is perfect, extensive beyond what we can comprehend, and everlasting. He is watching over our lives and every piece of our journeys. So right-click this image 👇 and save it where you’ll always be able to see it. AI created so your free to save this.

There is one nasty phrase still going around, and I’m sure some of you have heard it or something similar. If someone is a “real Christian,” they wouldn’t experience anxiety or nervousness when talking to others about God. That is a sure-fire way to crush someone’s faith rather quickly. I’m still shocked when I see or hear this coming out of Christians’ mouths. It’s become a weapon. I have witnessed this and have been on the receiving end of it. It was always weaponized; never once was there a time this was meant as a “Godly” encouragement, and it sure as hell never will be. But I want to show you something the next time you either hear this or see it happen. To give you some wisdom to pass along and reassurance. Paul shared something in 1 Corinthians that you’re going to find interesting and comforting. First, we all know who Paul is; hands down one of the greatest missionaries in the Bible. He helped spread the gospel like gasoline being poured on a bonfire. But, check out what he said here….. “I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” 1 Corinthians 2:3–4 Here, in black and white, we read that Paul struggled. If he had used just the words “weakness” and “trembling” we could have equated this to a possible illness or injury, but he did not. He also used the word “fear.” Something caused anxiety during that time for Paul, as a person with anxiety, I felt those words. It was a great relief off my shoulders when I learned that even Paul had his moments. Let me be clear on something. It is actually quite significant that Paul said this in the first place because he was a male leader. Trust me, the people who spout that stupid crap don’t want you to know this about Paul. They want to use their personal opinions on what they think is “best for you” and shame you, and again, no self-respecting Christian should be saying this to you or anybody else. You can’t pick one person to look up to while simultaneously ignoring a piece of what they said and then flip that upside down and condemn another for the same reason. That goes beyond cherry-picking to cherry-pureeing. Your journey and calling are between you and God. Not you, man, and man’s timing. By their standards, then Paul is not a “real Christian” either. Think about that for a moment. According to their mindset, he is not considered a “real Christian” then. Trust me, they’ll argue with you, but does that even make sense when you think about it? You can’t pick one person to look up to while simultaneously ignoring a piece of what they said and then flip that upside down and condemn another for the same reason. That goes beyond cherry-picking to cherry-pureeing. Accepting Jesus does not automatically equate you to being the “perfect” evangelist or take away nerves or fear. We each have unique personalities and quirks. We will all struggle with talking about God to others, some more than others. But that does not mean you are not a “real Christian.” Anyone who says that to you, walk away. Paul shared this experience with us for a reason. He knew that at some point, those of us today reading this would also experience weakness, fear, and trembling. It does not make you any less of a Christian than he was; just do what Paul did and trust God. He’s the only one that should be guiding your journey, no one else. © Jane Isley First Published in Never Stop Writing on Medium. Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

There is only today, and within it only this moment. A moment can not stretch; it has no way to expand beyond its purpose, it is only this precise moment you are in. Tomorrow is not yet written. We can wonder, we can guess, and we can even make plans because we believe there will be a tomorrow for us. But we do not know the moments we are going to travel through when we wake. The best-laid plans are no match for being with God in the present. When you wake, give your moments over to God. Release your hold on moments you simply do not control. The exact moment you are living in right now is a precious gift from Him to you; don’t squander it by living in the world of tomorrow before it even gets here. Those surrendered moments ease a burden you weren’t meant to carry or control and become His again upon your release. Moments, where He will guide you, carry you, support you, and cherish you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight . Proverbs 3: 5–6 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 © Jane Isley

The Depths of Forgiveness. A long time ago I chose to start the journey to forgive the people who had abused me in my childhood. It was part of my healing process that God led me to and has been guiding me through since. Yet I had started to feel over time that something was still missing in my prayers. I just didn’t know what it was and I started to ask God what was I missing. Then, I got the first part of His answer one day and it hit me like a brick. The person who had abused me was also hurting in their own way. Most likely worse in some ways because they haven’t found God yet. That was hard to stomach. To have to acknowledge that he also had feelings. After I had time to accept and understand this new awareness, I continued in my prayers for him. Each time I lifted him up to God, I would ask God to descend upon him and wrap him in a hug so tight he couldn’t possibly ignore His presence. I wanted God to open his eyes to the love, forgiveness, and peace that only He could bring him. A transformation that can only come from God. T hen, I got the second part of His answer and it also hit me like a brick. I hear the words :“Father, please let me see people how you see them.” I had never prayed that before, or anything similar. That concept, to see him, and anyone else who had hurt me as God sees them was very hard at first to wrap my mind around. But those words came through very clearly, and there was no ignoring that God was still answering my original question to Him about what I was missing on my journey of forgiveness. It did take me longer to process this, but then something happened when I put both of His answers together and trusted Him with what He was showing me. I felt a type of compassion for my abuser and all the people who hurt me over the years. A compassion for their soul. It was me who was transformed. This transformation in me probably makes no sense to some, is hard to fathom, and goes against our very human nature. I truly do understand that and the difficulty of reading what I am writing about. But I also understand that raw pain, the sorrow, and those broken pieces left behind by abuse and the need for peace. None of what I am sharing today is meant to minimize that or pretend that it doesn’t exist because it does. The thought that our abusers have feelings and having a compassion for them, their soul (core worth as I call it) goes against everything within us. It’s a knee-jerk reaction. But it is in line with what God teaches us. However. This does not mean we are to employ the “forgive and forget” strategy that people like to push and let our abusers back into our lives. I haven't, not do I intend to ever. I was meant to learn these two lessons because I was ready and yet at the same time, I absolutely did not let anyone back into my life. This was meant for me and my healing and the peace that I needed. God would not have shown me these two things if He didn’t believe I was ready. I want my abuser to feel the peace and the forgiveness that only God can bring them, the same peace and forgiveness He has given me because I too am a sinner. I see him and all those who have hurt me now as people with core worth, He loves them just as much as He loves me, and I want them to be transformed by God. I may never know what will become of my prayers for each person, but I won’t give up on those prayers. This next section is harder to hear. The people who have hurt you are worthy of His salvation and Heaven. As much as we want to believe the opposite, there are no ranks, no pedestals, and no inequality in God’s eyes. Your worth is the same as theirs in God’s eyes. I will not bold that last part, because some reading this are still not there yet and struggling with what I am saying, and I don’t want to make this any harder. Before anyone wonders and starts questioning my sanity. None of this came quickly or easily for me. It took me many painful years to even get to the point of wanting to go through the process of forgiveness and then even more years going through that journey. This is an intimate journey for each person, only you and God are what matters in your healing process. Some come to the stage of wanting to start that journey to forgive quicker than others, and there is no race to get to where I am now . I am still human though. With everything I just shared, I believe it is important to know there are still times when a memory can still throw me off balance and I also live in the same general area as my childhood abuser. It has happened where I have run into that person and they will attempt to approach me, but I do not allow it. After I am away from them, I involuntarily react. Mentally, I get thrown back into my past and relive years of abuse, this is built into our bodies now, and usually, I end up sick to my stomach or vomiting. But it is far easier to recover from that than ever before. Even with that reaction, I am still able to see him as a person who needs a transformation that only God can bring him. I still pray to this day for him; I genuinely want him to be healed, to ask forgiveness from God, and to be better. I was originally going to end this with a verse from the Bible. But I am choosing not to because I had so many verses thrown at me, some well-intentioned and some not, while I was recovering, and it mucked things up at times. I simply just needed someone to listen as I worked through the years of abuse, what it did to me physically, and how it changed me mentally. I had to work on that first before I came to my point of learning how to forgive. All those unnecessary verses being thrown at me made me feel like something was wrong with me because I wasn’t “progressing” at someone else's presumed pace. And I won’t be a part of doing that to someone here. Healing is a personal journey between you and God. All I ask is that you not give up. © Jane Isley Revision and first published February 2025 in Know Thyself, Heal Thyself on Substack. Ben White

It’s happening here and now, right beneath our noses. Many Christian leaders, whatever title they go by, refuse the call of being challenged, either by God or others.  They double down hard when challenged to the point that I see more doctrine, opinions, and warped theology being preached and held in higher regard than the actual word of God.  On the flip side, I see countless congregants guilty of allowing this to happen as well. They follow along like good little sheep, never asking questions and afraid to challenge when something is wrong. There’s a system-wide failure happening; these are serious problems happening within the church today, and why so many have failed in following Jesus. They do not want to be challenged to be better, do better, or demand better. I see the countless many who just want to go to church on Sunday and get a couple of hours in and maybe go to a weekly Bible group and call it good. They ebb and flow with the tide of those around them because they don’t want to create a splash and stick out or want things sweet and simple. Either way, they are after participation points, so they can try and plead ignorance when they’re judged. This applies to church leaders as well. Just so you know, God sees right through that; no sand is too deep. But how is any of this related to the usage of a “Hardened Heart” in the Bible? Here is one good definition in a nutshell. “So, hardness of heart in the Bible is a heart that is like stone in that it is unmoved, unfeeling, unresponsive — sometimes to human suffering, but, worst of all, unmoved, unresponsive, unfeeling toward God’s word and God’s mercies, God’s gospel offers.” (1) I always used to only think of this term in regards to Pharaoh and Moses. I never thought of its application in this modern age until I ran into the above article.  Looking further, I found more clarification on the matter. Mark DeJesus  goes into explanations that I will paraphrase and help explain why I see this as a problem occurring in the church now. He points out two or many reasons a person’s heart may become hardened.  1. Hearing Truth But Not Acting On It “Many are deceived into thinking they “know” something because they heard it. Yet that truth is not an active reality in their daily life. Truth is meaningless unless it has been activated through acting on it and allow it to manifest in your decisions.” (3) “In some ways, a hard heart can be defined as someone who is “being exposed to Biblical truth, yet doing nothing with it.” (3) 2. Not Healing the Issues of Your Heart “Masses of people right now are becoming hard, simply because they are not allowing God to heal the deep pain of their life.” (3) “ The tender optimism once present has turned into a rock hard coldness. How do you get there? By not allowing God to heal your pain.” (3) He goes on to explain five consequences of a hard heart in detail. I’m just recapping. Since I’ve had a chance to understand them better, I can see this happening more are more within the church. You’ll hurt the people closest to you. You won’t give up things that hurt you. You’ll block the flow of God’s movement and direction. You become numb and cold to the things that should move you. God will turn you over to your desires. All of these are happening, and all of them are bad. But it’s numbers three and four that really made this issue click for me because it’s what I’ve seen and felt the most coming from people literally standing within the church meet and greet areas. I’ve been to plenty of churches, where I have walked in all excited to check everything out only to encounter cold and unfeeling people throughout the whole congregation, shuffling along to their pew so they can get this over with. I even see it in the leaders of churches. The movement and flow of God have been blocked by tradition, doctrine, scripts, and schedules, and there is no freedom for God to enter into such an arrangement.  Hardened hearts didn’t end with Pharaoh and Moses; it’s still an ongoing and, in my opinion and serious issue facing the church today. The church’s growth is in decline, the ability to hear God has turned into deafness, to many stubborn and unresponsive people are lining the church pews and pulpits.  © Jane Isley Sources: (1) Desiring God; Do I have a Hard Heart ? (2) Gotquestions.com ; What are the causes and solutions for a hardened heart ? (3) Mark DeJesus; 5 Deadly Consequences of a Hard Heart Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

wikipedia.com How does one get into the business of learning how to juggle?? But practice of course!.....😅 Ok…. well, I guess that didn’t fully answer your question. So, where exactly does one start when first learning to do this? 🧐 Me? I started by asking questions, lots and lots of questions. I like my detailed answers. Back in my day, I wore out the library scanner, the librarian, and my card. (No, literally I did.)  For you, I would probably hit up Google like a monkey all over a banana cream pie first, or drive another librarian bonkers, your call. See, I need me some detailed details before I begin any task that requires key focus, practice, and patience. After I had exhausted all of my questions and probably made that poor librarian need to take a long siesta, I started searching for people with experience, then I was off again with more questions till I plucked them clean like last year's Thanksgiving Butterball turkey. Let’s see what roughly did I do next? I went searching to find people to connect with on a more personal level, you know, those few and far between who really felt my passion and saw that special sparkly in me. I found three amazing friends, and right away, they could see the potential shimmering off my skin. These were the people I wanted to learn from; they carried themselves with everything I wanted to be like, and they see that sparkliness because they have it too! But, then came the hardest part…re-learning my possibilities, training my mind and eyes, tons of practice, a lot of failures, then even more practice every day, and not to mention the patience involved and the trust involved with handling these big ole’ bowling pins getting tossed in the air heading straight for the bridge of my delicate nose or my one of a kind smile.  Now, no giggling at me, because I do have a little delicate nose, and those things come down at about 1000 miles per hour when they are hurtling towards your face. Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, from my point of view, that's how fast they seem! 👀 The trusting was the hardest part, when they would tell me not to flinch, or be still, or place my body this way, put my hand here or my foot there, that’s the hardest part. I had to learn to trust that they knew what they were talking about and were trying to show me, most of that came from not listening and learning from my mistakes (usually the hard way).  I also struggled with not get to cocky as I advance in skill sets and I really had to, no — ended up flat out realizing I needed to fully lean on their experience, knowledge, and expertise if I’m ever going to get any good at this Honestly, I felt like a floundering tadpole out of water for the longest time, kind of of like I was drowning in a sea of all sorts of emotions, while they are calm, collected, and steadfast all the time. And yes, that was totally frustrating at times, and sometimes I even felt a bit embarrassed when I’d let my mind and emotions get the worst of me and I’d fly off on a tangent The coolest part about this whole learning experience was that because I had (and still have) this passion that they clearly saw, was that no matter how many times that 300-ish lb bowling pin nailed me in the noggin, they kept cheering me on, passing along a wealth of tips, support, high fives and even brought other people in to help me as I eventually advanced in my skills. Just think about it, if I had thrown in the towel in the beginning as I dived into learning this, all because I didn’t understand what the heck I was doing half the time or understood the terminology the other half of the time, I’d never be the Christian I am today. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

You will stumble, you will fail at times, you will cry and grieve what you once had. But you will also excel in something so complex that only you are the expert. You will soar and sing praises when mountains are moved, you see their smiles, and have those precious good days. And you will become the advocate you never knew you were. Jan van ’t Hoff — Gospel images From me to you, you are doing the hardest job in the world. I am a parent and a caregiver to my disabled adult daughter. There is a difference between the struggles and frustrations that come with being a parent versus those of a parent caregiver. At some point, we all believe our children will leave the nest. They will go their own way independently of their parents and make a life in this world. No more scheduling their doctor’s appointments, making sure their homework is done, or doing their laundry. Being a caregiver can be a whole other type of hell. If you’ve been one or are one, you know exactly what I mean. Your life is forever intertwined with the person you are caring for. Your mind does not rest because it’s always in caregiver mode. Even if you get the chance to get away for the evening, your role never clocks out; you’re either keeping an eye on your phone, having random thoughts of them throughout your evening, and inevitably, at some point, the person you’re caring for is brought up in conversation. The role never leaves you, it becomes you; you don’t become it. I have been my daughter's primary (and for a long time, only)  caregiver for 12 years, when everything changed for her in an instant when she was 11. I have no career to speak of, no finished college degree, a very sad 401(k) that I try to contribute to, no sick days, vacation days, weekends off, and not even earned credits towards my social security if I get the chance to retire. Man, do I miss the excitement of Fridays! When I knew I had two full days to sleep in, chill, and take a break. I get sad over that when I think about it. I haven’t had a Friday in 12 years. I know I could have stepped away from this role and not taken it on. I’ve seen it done before, but I love my daughter with everything I have; those job perks above I leave to the Lord. He put us together for a reason, and I trust His reasoning for that, but wow, some days I do get frustrated, sad, and exhausted. I am forever thankful for God’s grace and patience, and knowing He goes beyond just loving me on my worst days, to carrying the burden of this role that can weigh me down, and providing me the restful peace I need amongst the darkness of compassion fatigue and overstimulation. Many people surround me, and I’m sure you’ve had the same throughout your time as a caregiver. However, as caregivers, we also understand that the ones who surround us do not understand those weights in the same way as we do. It is an experience that is uniquely ours. You know it’s ok not to be ok at times, right? At one point, the stress of being a caregiver got so bad that I broke down. Everyone around me seemed so willing to “help,”  but all they wanted was to stay and chat, then they’d leave the moment something happened with my daughter. Leaving me crushed, hurt, and broken. Everyone who was with me when things started to get bad for my daughter did this. They left everything on my shoulders and a few loved to toot their horn about being a caregiver when in fact they did nothing. When I say I broke, I mean I broke. I sought out medical help and was admitted to the hospital. I lashed out at people after that, not cruelly or maliciously, but I did chew some serious butt. I started calling them out for what they were doing, I fought back, and I demanded better. I also distanced myself from the ones who saw no wrong in their behavior and only brought their drama over to our home. No one saw me. They saw what they wanted, which was the person who took care of everything for my daughter. It was easy peasy for them because they didn’t have to lift a finger. I wasn’t a person anymore, I was a handy commodity. I still feel that way sometimes now, when certain situations arise, but I’ve since fought back and have been starting to reclaim parts of my life again. How do you reclaim your life when it’s intertwined with another’s? The answer is you don’t, you never will be able to. But you can carve out chunks here and there and build on those. That’s what I had to learn to do for myself, and what I had to fight for. I need those chunks, those are my Fridays now. The moments I look forward to. That’s how I reclaimed a life for myself, and a new path was forged by God. My days will never be what they once were, or what they could have been. But my days now are so much better because I am no longer afraid to cry, and say “not today”, I’m not afraid to say I need someone else to take care of their own life, and I’m absolutely not afraid to give it to God and lean on Him to take a breath. That is the most beautiful gift He has given me. I am more than a caregiver. I put up a healthy wall, built a new foundation for myself with God’s help, and put people in their place if they try and take advantage. I tell my family now what I need when I’m struggling, even if it means leaving things messy or ignoring calls. I may be a caregiver, but I am more than that, and so are you. We are people with wishes, wants, and dreams that got sidelined in a way few understand, a sideline that will forever become a part of who we are now because our lives are wholly entwined with another person’s life. But we are more than caregivers; we are unique, loved, and worthy of forging a new path with God. © Jane Isley First Published in Never Stop Writing on Medium. If you enjoy my work and it has touched your heart or brought hope, please consider donating to Family Caregiver Alliance  or CRPS Warriors Foundation .

There's a reassuring aspect I want you to see. Have you ever stopped to truly appreciate the beauty of the Psalms and recognize the reassurance within those words?  David Clode I know I am. I’m currently using a 365-day chronological Bible, and I happened to start in the Psalms. I want to take a moment and show you an amazing aspect about all the Psalms and to hopefully entice you into exploring this more. Biblical Poetry First, let me start with a little about Biblical poetry. This is a unique form of literature that combines spiritual meaning with the artistry of poetry. The Psalms are a collection of 150 poems that cover a wide range of emotions and experiences. They capture the whole spectrum of our human existence. Reassurance This is a beautiful and reassuring aspect of the Psalms, we see the honesty and raw emotion of the writers when we read them. These writers did not hold back in expressing their true thoughts and feelings to God.  Whether they were praising Him or crying out to Him, the writers poured their hearts out in every word. You can find truth, peace, and, honestly, to me, the most important things is the reassurance. Here we have 150 poems reassuring us that just because we believe does not mean we won’t have struggles and emotional glitches. These writers poured it all in there; they were real, they felt, they hurt, they cried, and they praised. Remember that —  they praised , even during their hardest storms, they were honest and still believed and sought God. Psalms to remember In times of tears, turn to Psalm 42  and 88 , when you want a Psalm to give praises to the Lord, go to Psalms 100  and 150 , if you are like me and struggle with anxiety, go to Psalms 121 . Next time you open your Bible or feel yourself struggling, take a moment to immerse yourself in the reassurance and truth of the Psalms. Let the words wash over you, comfort you, and remind you of the incredible love that God has for every one of us. © Jane Isley What is your favorite Psalm and why? Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.