If you’ve experienced suffering, I imagine people said some really helpful things to you—and some really unhelpful things. They mean well, but their words can come out in awkward, sometimes even hurtful, ways. I could tell you stories of strange things people said to me when I was suffering. But the most helpful things people […]

[Author’s Note: This article is specifically meant for women who know that their friend struggles with disordered eating, meaning this friend has trusted you enough to share this part of her story with you. If you have a friend who you suspect struggles with disordered eating but she has not explicitly disclosed this to you, […]

I tried to squelch the hope growing in my heart as I swung into the drugstore. This time I felt different. Against my better judgment, I allowed myself to believe that maybe the result would be different this time too.  I made the familiar walk to the back right of the store and crouched down […]

I sat on the edge of my seat, listening to the youth conference speaker describe the new Christian life. The night before, while the band played an emotional song about trusting Jesus, the speaker had invited students to come forward to “give their lives to Jesus.” This morning, in a room full of sweaty teens […]

I stood at my kitchen sink as tears of frustration burst from my eyes. I was overstimulated, overtired, and overwhelmed. Between sobs I whispered, “I can’t do this anymore.” I was too weak to keep up with the never-ending stream of demands, no matter how simple they were. As the chaos continued around me, I […]