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Curious why anyone would ever want to face their pain?
Hello brave one. Yes, you. Even though you may feel emptied of all brave right now. But you’re here, searching, wondering if there’s any measure of possibility for you. That tells me you are brave.
What you'll gain from joining us here.
Like-hearted People
Searching for hope. Believing that suffering and pain do not have the final word. Finding together there’s more to life than merely surviving – you can thrive again.
Courage
How to bravely face your pain with God until it becomes a pearl. To wrestle or be still with Him. To find Him safe enough to cover it all with His strength and beauty.
You
Your past has shaped you, but not always into the person you were meant to be. Your true self is buried underneath the ashes of many pains…let’s find the real you.
About Melissa
Melissa is a truth-seeker and a truth-teller. Whether reading her words or hearing her speak in person, her unique ability to weave story and truth will have you hooked!
Pain is Universal and Inescapable, But~
I am no stranger to pain and suffering. From my own childhood trauma of various kinds, to parenting children of trauma from an accident resulting in over eight years of reconstructive surgeries, to church hurt, to personal losses. Though these things have tried to name me, they are not my identity. Not even close.
Pain is universal and inescapable. Most of my life, I have found the world’s and the church’s reaction to pain bewildering. Both come up short too often, causing us to lose hope. We are met with every well-meaning message but “face it,” because we aren’t really sure how to, or if we can, fearing it will undo us.
But, suffering does not get to have the final word in the Kingdom of God.
There is a way to face our pain and thrive. Jesus is the way. He is certainly no stranger to pain and suffering either. He will gather every sliver of our broken heart to bring them back into the whole again. In this process with Him, we discover our true self. (Isaiah 61)
Pain tries to reframe our identity, but Jesus comes to frame it back right. We are not the false names that our past, people, and circumstances have given us.
May the words on these pages restore our true identity, and bring us the life we long for.
“Our hope cannot be tethered to the temporal; it can only be anchored in the eternal.” MGP
Jesus wants you to know there’s a treasure to uncover with Him, and the treasure is you.
Let what is buried in you
be spoken ~ be honored ~ be loved ~ be healed
There's More Than Writing
Artist
An Art major in college, I put it down unintentionally to raise our four kids born five and a half years apart. Part of healing is rediscovering who I am as an artist. You are invited to learn with me! An art store will be coming some day.
Foodie Confessions
I love to play with food. Scouting restaurants. Creating recipes. My love for art and sweets collided when I ran a gourmet cupcake/cake art business in our home. Then, my health required a drastic change in the way I eat. Healing the body, mind, heart, and spirit is key – all parts are interwoven. I’ll offer what I’m learning, and occasionally share a few recipes!
Adventure Seeker
It’s small scale, but I do love adventure. Experiencing it with family is my favorite. Beauty is healing, and exploration renews a spirit of wonder. Both are needed for our restoration. Exploring creation reminds us how much we are dearly loved by our Creator.
Recent Blog Posts
Letter to My Husband (& Children) on Our 25th Anniversary
If God intends the holy union of a man and a woman in marriage to be a symbol of redemption and re-creation, ours has certainly tested that intent to its fullest. There is no relationship more vulnerable, none that will require so much of us than that of marriage. To […]
Chronic Illness & Grief
On suffering, I felt like I’d heard it all inside and outside the church. Both were found lacking. We’ve forgotten true compassion ~ to come alongside and suffer with, and we’ve lost our capacity for long-suffering (alongside others and in our own). When two of our girls were in a […]
Hear What Others Have To Say
Meet Melissa
That smile is a miracle. A miracle is something that cannot be accomplished by the natural, but only by the supernatural power of God.
Another photo remains hidden in a stack that I scarce can take in for the emptiness of the young face staring back at me.