Faith

The following articles are about God, the Bible and how to grow in your faith.

1 Unique Way to Uncover Your Purpose in Life

| Rachel Boulos

one unique way to discover your purpose in lifeYesterday I sat by my fireplace wrapped in three blankets. And a bathrobe. Drinking coffee. And it was 50 degrees outside. Yeah, I’m cool like that.

All snuggled and warm, my mind drifted to memories of last year. My first winter on autoimmune meds completely changed the way I functioned. The cold weather suddenly presented an entirely new problem for me: sick season. I was scared straight with the never ending list of risks and side effects, creating a bout of anxiety for my compromised immune system.

So every year when the weather begins to chill, I give a half-hearted wave to the world and tuck myself in for a long winter nap. I spent the majority of last winter in self-induced hibernation, away from the public, reluctantly canceling plans with friends who had a sniffle. I felt like I had to screen guests with a “symptom questionnaire” before they were even allowed to enter my home.

That first winter was a very lonely season. But it was also a surprising season of transformation. Continue reading →

Forgiving Often: 6 things you need to know

| Rachel Boulos

6 things you need to know on how to forgive oftenForgiveness is that fuel that keeps your marriage (or any relationship) going. If you don’t forgive, your marriage will tank. It’s as simple as that.

But how do you do it? What does it look like? Why is it so important? If you missed the first half of this post, click here to find out what forgiveness is not.

Correcting our understanding of what forgiveness is not paves the way for what forgiveness is… Continue reading →

4 Things Forgiveness is Not

| Rachel Boulos

how to forgive often in your marriageLove requires risk. If you’re in a relationship, you will get hurt. And when you get hurt, you must learn to forgive. But how do you do it? What does it look like? Why is it so important?

Well, I’m glad you asked. I had way too much to say on this topic so I divided it into two posts for your reading sanity. There are a lot of wrong ideas floating around on what it means to forgive. My hope is to help you understand what it is and what it is not so that forgiveness will become a powerful discipline in your life. In fact, your health and the health of your relationships depend on it.

So first, let’s take a look at what forgiveness is not… Continue reading →

Believing in Santa: is it naughty or nice?

| Rachel Boulos

is believing in Santa naughty or niceKids naturally love the idea of Santa. I mean, what’s not to love? His eyes twinkle, he brings toys, his favorite snack is cookies, and he lives in a land of magic. There’s a superhero, supernatural element to him. Not to mention you get to climb on his lap, tell him everything you’ve ever wanted, and know he’ll deliver. He’s basically the embodiment of the best grandparent ever.

Maybe you never gave Santa a passing thought. Then you had kids. Suddenly you’re at a crossroad. Is teaching your kids about Santa naughty or nice?

Christians seem to especially wrestle with this. After all, the real meaning of Christmas is the baby in the manger not the man in the sleigh. But Santa and his reindeer are everywhere. Try as you might, your child is bound to ask questions and get swept up in the excitement. As a parent, you may feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle to keep Christ at the center of Christmas.

So what do you do? Is there any harm in believing in Santa? Should you preserve the imagination of childhood? Do you get your kids to buy into an idea you know to be fiction and fantasy? What happens when they discover the truth? How will they rationalize that Santa is a fake? Will they feel duped? Lied to? Worse yet, will they wonder if other unseen figures – like Jesus – are also a fabrication of the mind?

These are tough questions to wrestle with as a parent. If you feel torn between fantasy and fact this season, let me ease your fears. I would like to propose a radical idea this Christmas:

Contrary to popular opinion, Santa and Jesus are not archenemies. They are not battling it out to see who wins the center of Christmas this year. You do not have to vote one of them off your Christmas list. You can teach your kids about Santa and still keep Christ in Christmas. How? I’m so glad you asked… Continue reading →

How to find rest this Christmas

| Rachel Boulos

rest6I may just go insane. It’s December 6th and I’m already starting to panic.

In a whirlwind, we blew in the door this week after a long Thanksgiving trip with family. Two days of laundry, unpacking, working, meal planning – just trying to catch back up with life. One holiday down, another to go. The clock is ticking and the to-do list is growing a mile long.

It’s December 6th and my house is still full of pumpkins and leaves. No decking the halls, no Christmas tree, no fa-la-la-la-la. The calendar is chock-full of birthday parties to shop for, christmas parties to plan, cookies to bake, cards to order, gifts to wrap, lists to make, stockings to stuff, and friends to see. And what’s that I feel? A little tingling and scratch in the back of my throat? Ok, my stress is official. How will I ever get the lights strung, the carols sung, or my shopping done if I am sick!?

And if I don’t already have enough to worry about, the guy in the checkout line asked me if I was ready for Christmas. Seriously? It’s the sixth day of December for crying out loud! But of course he is ready. Enter feelings of inadequacy and the guilt of comparison. Not all of us can keep up with Pinterest, Pottery Barn, and the Joneses, you know.

I found myself stressing all the way home. The Christmas season seemed so short and the days so few. As I pulled into our neighborhood, I found myself suddenly admiring all the beautiful blues, reds, greens, and whites glistening around me. And just when I started to relax and enjoy the moment, I saw it. My house. Dark amid the Christmas cheer, sticking out like a sore thumb. With pumpkins on the porch. Another reminder and clear giveaway that I was way behind schedule. Bah humbug.

For some, Christmas may not be the most wonderful time of year. Overcrowded schedules, to-do lists, expectations, loss, financial hardship, loneliness, and family drama can make the stress seem insurmountable. But whatever the situation, I believe we can choose rest instead of stress this season. Continue reading →

An Attitude of Gratitude

| Rachel Boulos

thanksgiving2

We’ve all heard the story. We make pilgrim hats and dress our tables with turkey. But Thanksgiving is more than just Pilgrims and Native Americans eating together in harmony. It’s more than positive thinking and counting our blessings. Perhaps we’re so familiar with the story that we forget what really happened. Before the big feast.

Though it’s been told a thousand times, this story is near to my heart. It’s not just an American story. It is my story. You see, my relative was there that First Thanksgiving. He was one of those pilgrims who sailed the Mayflower, braved the new world, and shared a meal with the Wampanoag Tribe. A man who started a long line of descendants in the land of the free and home of the brave. To me, this is not just a story on a page in a history book. It really happened. To real people. To my family, generations ago. To a man who experienced real emotions, tragedies, and fears.

So stick with me as I retell the tale that could redefine your view of Thanksgiving this year. It is a story of hope. A story of providence. But most of all, the First Thanksgiving is a story of untarnished joy. Continue reading →

The Masquerade: why you must remove your mask

| Rachel Boulos

why you must remove your maskAs a homeowner, I look forward to trick-or-treating every year. My husband and I carve pumpkins, grab our favorite TV show, and wait with anticipation. While I’m not a fan of Halloween, I do look forward to the doorbell ringing and greeting a cast of characters with handfuls of sweets.

Rain or shine, today we will be the ones on the sidewalk going door to door with Iron Man and Superman leading the way! And while I feel like a kid again and have eagerly packed “goodie bags” for such an occasion, the activity conjures up another mask in question.

This mask is not for kids. And it is not reserved for special occasions. In fact, it seems to be worn throughout most of the year. This mask hides flaws. It misrepresents. It is the paraphernalia of an act, one that has been performed throughout the years. This mask is worn for others. This mask is mine.

Getting me to admit my masquerade has been a long time coming. I felt the effects long before I recognized the cause. Even as these words leave my fingertips, my heart flutters a little with insecurity. But I’m going to be honest with you. Because maybe you’re like me. It all started a couple months ago with Donald Miller’s book, Scary Close (awesome read, by the way). Within the first few pages I knew I had a problem. Like the author, I have been an actor on the stage of life. Performing for others in order to receive the applause of acceptance and affirmation. I rehearse my lines so I can deliver them with ease. I disguised myself and therefore deceived myself.

Maybe you do this too. Perhaps you’re an actor on your own stage, performing for the people in your life in order to get something in return: significance, love, acceptance, forgiveness, recognition, fame, fortune, the list goes on and on. Somewhere along the line we’ve all learned that we aren’t enough. That there is something wrong with us. So we overcompensate. We carefully craft a mask to wear that we know will be pleasing to others. As Miller says, we all have an ace card that, when all else fails, we know we can play with success.

It got me thinking. What is my ace card? And what’s yours? What mask have I worn over the years that has yielded positive results? That has given me the affirmation I always wanted? And then it came to me. While yours may be intelligence, humor, money, or service, mine is Continue reading →

Grateful for Dirty Dishes: yes, you read that right

| Rachel Boulos

grateful for dirty dishesI have a love-hate relationship with dishes. I love discovering a unique piece for my cupboards. I love crackle glass and how it makes everything look so fancy. When I pour coffee into my favorite teal mug and hold it between my palms, all seems right with the world.

But I hate washing them. Nothing annoys or stresses me out more than to come home and see a mountain of dirty dishes encroaching on my counter space. On more than one occasion I have been known to stockpile them to one side, thinking that if I just build a tower in the corner it will delay my fate for another couple hours…or days. How can our tasty dinner so easily turn into a bacteria nightmare?! When my workout for the day consists of scrubbing who knows what out of my pan, it just makes me crabby. I would rather do an entire day of laundry. I would rather scrub toilets. I would rather iron my husband’s dress shirts….no wait. That might be worse. Don’t get me started on those stubborn, antagonizing folds. And those taunting collars.

But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes.

So you can imagine my distress when I started our dishwasher the other week and was met with silence. I think my heart might have skipped a beat. I tried again. Nothing. Our faithful friend had finally breathed its last. And the reality of my future began to set in. I was now the dishwasher. Truth be told, I may have panicked a little. Continue reading →