Many years ago, I supervised a pre-school in a refugee camp where many kids had behavioural issues due to trauma. I knew that punishing a child for inappropriate behaviour wasn’t as helpful as guiding them to find a resolution. By helping them navigate through conflict, I was contributing to their self-awareness and problem-solving skills. After […]
Discipline
Stand Firm! Resist the Urge to Return to Yesterday’s Strategies
Lately, I have been dwelling on Ephesians 6:10-17, which is familiar to you if you have been reading my blog as of late. Have you ever noticed how often Paul charges his readers to ‘stand firm’ in that passage? I did! Three times! Anyone who studies the Bible knows to pay attention when something is […]
I Have No Choice, I Must Keep Moving
I fell yesterday. Don’t worry. I am okay. It’s not fun to fall; it hurts! But it comes with the territory of living with a disability such as mine. I can’t just lie there and have a pity party. No, I have to get up. I have no choice. Yes, I stay still for a […]
Keep Moving or Risk Not Moving at All
Hebrews 12:11-13 – “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the […]
Heart Transplant Recipient After-Care
Psalms 51:10 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Several years ago, a friend received the gift of a new heart after decades of failing health. Every year she celebrates her new life and all of those who love her celebrate along with her. We are […]
Malnourished in the Land of Plenty
I gazed out the window of my office, watching a hundred giggling, shrieking, happy children play in the packed dirt compound of our preschool. Playground games are universal; Tag, I Spy, King of the Mountain, and Spin Me until I’m Dizzy. Girls whispered secrets to each other, and the boys pretended not to care that […]