writing in the margins of life
Words. I’ve grown rather tired of them this year. Everyone has words and most of them contradict, weigh down, and confuse. Are you weary of them, too? As someone who has grown up loving words, this being burdened by them, is a new experience. I recently deleted several social media accounts because I could not [...]
I accidentally took a month long sabbatical from writing. Perhaps I should say it was accidental on my part, but right on schedule with the Lord's plan. I see now that it was all in His perfect wisdom, because there was much needed work to be done in my heart that could not be accomplished [...]
Did you know it’s not your unwavering faith that keeps you steady but the unwavering Savior in whom your wavering faith is placed? It’s true. Sometimes (a lot of the time) I don’t understand God or how He works. But I know this to be true: He is good. He’s good when I feel it, [...]
Our backyard is beautiful right now. This morning I woke up earlier than I had in weeks and watched the sky be painted with cotton candy colors as the rays of light pierced through the trees making known to the world that a new day was breaking. Blossoms on the barren branches waved in the [...]
I called her one day last fall, crying, because my day had been really hard. I poured out my doubts, questions, and tears. She listened, just like she always does, and then gently reminded me that Jesus was enough and He wasn't going anywhere. We hung up the phone and I felt refreshed. A few [...]
I was hiking with my friend in the middle of the desert, wondering why on earth I had agreed to it. The temperature was 104 degrees and the sweat was pooling in my socks. We climbed up rocks, walked over long stretches of hard dirt, and felt the sun beat down on our backs. She [...]
This morning when checking my email, I found one from my grandmother about Hallmark channel's "Jingle in July." For those of you who have not ever enjoyed a Hallmark Christmas film, this is a summer excuse for Christmas lovers around the world to forget that it's the dead of summer, curl up on the couch, [...]
It was dusk and I was driving through the Midwestern country roads on my way home from babysitting for some friends. Peter Hollens' album of folk songs played softly in my car, and the wind rushed through the open windows blowing my hair all around. But my heart was heavy. As I wound out of [...]
It doesn't make sense. I don't understand why people kill other people out of anger. I don't understand why an invisible virus can both take and destroy lives with the fierceness of a great army. I don't understand why people we love get cancer. I don't understand why the dearest of friends are pitted against [...]
Every church has the names most often heard from the pulpit in the organization of events. We have the woman known for her teaching abilities, the woman known for her musical gifts, the woman known for her special touch with little ones, and the woman known for her hosting, and the woman known for her [...]
Madelyn Istrate 