Our minds are often so vulnerable to self-criticisms and ruthless inner dialogues—“I can’t do anything right”, “I am not good enough”—that we find it easier to speak kindly to others than to ourselves.
But given what Christ has done for us at the cross, the way we put ourselves down is not something that God desires for us.
Last year was a tough one for me. I thought I could end up with someone whom I considered my best friend and my safe place, but it did not happen as I’d hoped.
Many of us think that faith and fear cannot co-exist, as if a faithful Christian should not feel a tinge of fear. However, fear is often a fertile ground for faith to flourish.
Eyes glued to my laptop screen, I dragged my mouse from the start of the video to the end over and over. I was sure I had just missed my photo from the crop of worthy employees in the video that HR put out to announce the latest promotions.
It all began one day when my shoulder started hurting. At first I thought it was just a bad case of stiff neck, but it worsened to the point that I couldn’t turn my neck anymore.
At the start of 2021, I had to leave my job amid the pandemic because I had to go back home to help with a family affair. I couldn’t imagine how I was going to find my next job.
I’ve struggled with anxiety since I was first bullied in school at the age of 7. I would often go to bed with a lump in my throat and a heavy feeling in my chest, and cry myself to sleep.
“Apathy” was ranked as the single biggest concern of 2022, according to Lifeway Research’s survey of 1,000 pastors on their churches’ most pressing needs.
I graduated with a master’s degree, but after not being able to land a job in my field of study, I resorted to working at a restaurant to support myself.