Faith & Inspiration Archives - Written For A Purpose

February 4, 2023February 5, 2023

Reflections on Rest

As a cross country runner in high school, I always loved the beginning of a race. At the firing of the start gun, the herd of runners dispersed, releasing a quiet thunder of hundreds of feet striding over the grass-covered route. Supportive shouts from friends and family broke into the stillness of early morning. I felt weightless in my running cleats as I ran up and over hills and through patches of fall-tinged forests, sweat dripping down my back and immediately evaporating in the crisp air.

December 25, 2022December 31, 2022

God Sees You This Christmas

“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’

When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.‘

July 7, 2021August 1, 2021

Achieve Your Goals

Before entering college, I received an encouraging letter from a mentor figure in my life. The letter contained a simple, three bullet-point To-Do list for the next four years: 1. Pursue God, 2. Be faithful to your studies, 3. Invest in friends and fun. When assignments and commitments made it difficult to maintain a healthy life-balance at school, I would often refer to this list to help me reassess my priorities.

July 2, 2021July 10, 2021

Gratitude

One of my most cherished memories from college is a little “Thanksgiving-mas” brunch I was invited to on a Sunday afternoon. The invitation came about three-quarters of the way through fall semester, just as I was beginning to feel really burnt out. I had allowed papers, projects, tests, and other commitments to replace my peace. Adding to my weariness, because of the travel restrictions related to Covid, our usual (and much-needed) mid-semester breaks had been cut from the academic calendar—in essence, until those Christmas bells started ringing the sound of winter break, we were in it for the long haul.

At the very moment that anxiety and discouragement threatened to overwhelm me — a sweet friend invited me and a few other girls to take a break and celebrate Thanksgiving/Christmas at her apartment. It was the little bit of hope and light that I needed to make it through the week.

May 26, 2021July 9, 2021

Prayers for Healing

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” ~Jeremiah 17:14

There are so many people in the world right now in desperate need of God’s healing—both physical and emotional healing. The impacts of illnesses, health conditions, discouragement, and depression in our lives or the lives of our family and friends can feel overwhelming. Yet, God never leaves us nor abandons us to face life’s trials on our own. In fact, He has given us a powerful tool that allows us to enter His presence and access His healing grace. That tool is prayer.

What follows are some insights I’ve gathered in my own journey to become a better “pray-er” for my loved ones and for my own life.