Gwendolyn Harmon's Blog: Learning Ladyhood, page 4

How Long?

In the midst of a trial, we are often tempted to cry out, “Lord, how long?” We think if we only knew when the ending would be, the pain or sorrow or struggle would be more bearable. This is how David must have felt when he penned Psalm 13:

“How long wilt Thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine ...

Digging Deep

The first week of warm, sunny weather in the springtime is always a treat. It makes teachers and students alike want to linger outside during recess, and it is a little sad to have to go back inside again. I tend to feel like the last hour of the day goes by so very slowly, and when I finally get home, I quickly change and gather up a few tools from the shed so I can work on the garden.

My first garden task each year is to turn the soil, breaking up the earth that has settled and packed over the...

Consider Him

When God gave His instructions to the nation of Israel concerning how they were to live and worship, He commanded them to keep a series of holidays. Each one celebrated an aspect of God’s character, love, and care for His people.

As Christians, we might not celebrate the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Trumpets, and we know that Christ’s death and resurrection fulfilled the feasts of the Passover and the Day of Atonement, but we have our own “holy days,” days of celebration that remind us of an ...

“Why are Ye Fearful?”

Mark 4:40

As a chronic overthinker with a very vivid imagination, fearfulness is something I often wrestle with. Granted, there are things of which I am not afraid now that were of grave concern to me as a child, but adulthood has brought its own new set of fears. And of course there are also some silly irrational fears—things like phone calls or little harmless garden spiders of which there is no real reason to be afraid.

But you know what? For the Christian, all fear is irrational. Think about ...

Four Obstacles to Christian Service

There’s a saying that within a church, 10 percent of the people do 90 percent of the work. Does that sound true to you?

All too often, it is. And yet, despite the busyness and tendency to burnout, you will often find that the ten percent seem to have more joy in service than those with more time and less responsibilities. Why is that?

Because God designed us to serve. It is a natural outcome of our relationship with Him. In John 14:15 Jesus says,

“If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”

And again, ...

Good and Perfect Gifts

Have you ever struggled to get your heart to agree with what your mind knows is true?

I took a writing trip recently, but the first day, just couldn’t get my heart in it. I sat there in a comfortable chair with a cozy blanket, toes warmed by a well-placed radiator, basking in the brilliance of bright sunlight and puffy clouds, watching waves roll in, indescribably blue with perfect white caps of foam.

This is a gift. I thought, willing my heart to agree. But my heart didn’t want to agree. It fel...

Life by Faith

“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

I was in my car, flipping through the worn pages of my little Bible and praying about what God wanted me to write when this verse stood out. It’s a familiar verse—so familiar, in fact, that I am quite certain I have written a post very like this one before.

I thought about it f...

“What Doest Thou Here?”

1 Kings 19

Elijah flopped down under a juniper tree. He was exhausted, discouraged, and depressed. God had given a major victory over the priests of Baal, but their greatest supporter, the wicked queen Jezebel seemed just as powerful and threatening as ever. What was the use of it all? He might as well just die and be done with this earthly struggle.

“It is enough, now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” (v.4)

Then he laid down beneath the tree and slept, perhaps expe...

When Christians Don’t Behave Like Christians

As Christians, we know how we ought to behave. We have the Bible, we have the Holy Spirit’s promptings, and yet even the saved in Christ have a sin nature. We would like to think that once a person is saved, they will automatically begin treating others right and demonstrating Christlike character in their daily lives. But the truth is, this side of heaven, sinners saved by grace will still sometimes give in to temptation and sin.

And when that happens, it can have a devastating effect on believ...

What to do With a Rebuke

None of us like to be told we’re wrong.

Whether justified or not, rebukes grate against the innate self-righteousness of our sin nature. Even a hint of disapproval can feel devastating at times, and our first instinct is often to lash out in our own defense.

But how does the Bible say we should respond to rebuke? There are several verses Proverbs alone that deal with rebuke, but one deals specifically with the heart attitude of the one rebuked:

“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a ...