Lysa TerKeurst's Blog, page 27

Practical Ways to Keep Your Family Connected

The paper plates all worn out from the dinner well enjoyed. The farm table sticky. The new Brussels sprout recipe loved by me but rejected by everyone else. Have mercy. The little sister aggravated to tears by the big sisters. The husband slightly overwhelmed by the female drama.

It’s what I call home. A snapshot from one of our weekly Monday night dinners.

As Mom, I comfort that one whose feelings got hurt while scolding the other two. We navigate lessons in kindness and the power of words and why we must watch the way we treat each other.

A boy’s name is mentioned. This is a kind boy. A boy who loves Jesus and says “yes ma’am” in his deep 20-year-old voice. I like respectful boys. My daughter, the same age, smiles at the mention of him. My husband and I notice. In a matter of minutes we’re all laughing together.

Together.

This beautifully messy band of people I call my own need time together. Space to connect and process. Conversational threads are what make up the fabric of relationships. We must take time. Make time. To talk.

And today, my sweet friends and partners in ministry, Glynnis Whitwer and Karen Ehman are popping in to give practical ways to find this time and maximize it. Take it away, friends…

—–

As moms of busy children, we know how hard it is to carve out time with family. But in most homes, it is possible to set aside time every week to strengthen your family unity, to turn your hearts toward God, and to have fun in the process.

The key is commitment, consistency, and a small amount of creativity.

Don’t worry about it being exactly right, and don’t compare your family’s plans with anyone else’s. There’s no perfect day, perfect amount of time, or perfect agenda. Maybe your family only has Saturday mornings, or after church on Sundays, or Tuesday nights.

Grab that time and try to make it non-negotiable.

We think it’s always easier to start simply when trying to establish a habit. So don’t set expectations you can’t continue to meet. A little food, a little conversation, some laughter, and you’ve got a memory in the making.

A few years ago, Glynnis met a pastor’s wife at a small church in Louisiana. This grandma of many was discussing her dinner menu for later that day. The guest list numbered around twenty and included children, grandchildren, and a few friends invited into the fold. Was it someone’s birthday? Or anniversary?

“No,” she answered. “It’s just Sunday dinner. We do this every week. It’s how we keep our family connected.”

What a wonderful practice. A simple dinner. A standing invitation. A reason to reconnect with friends and family after a busy week.

What might this look like in your home? The type of food doesn’t matter as much as making enough to feed a few extra friends who might be invited.

Maybe your special family time is you and your husband . . . or maybe it’s a passel of children and grandkids. No matter the size of the gathering, the fanciness of your table, or the spot on the calendar, establishing time together with people you love is worth the investment.

Here are some ideas you can try as you gather your people:

1. Devotional time

Pick a short passage of the Bible to read together. Depending on the ages of your children, take turns coming up with a few discussion questions. Keep this simple to help make the Bible accessible to every member of your family. Close with a short prayer thanking God for His Word and message to you tonight. Pray also for others.

2. Make-your-own _____ night.

Get the family involved in making dinner. One idea is make-your-own pizza. Using French bread or hoagie rolls as your base, set out an assortment of toppings, pizza sauce, and cheese and let everyone assemble their own creation. You might also try a salad bar, sub sandwiches, or Cincinnati chili (with optional five toppings).

3. Board games

Board games can be expensive, but compare their cost with taking your family out to the movies and you might have a new perspective. Some of our favorites include Ticket to Ride, Apples to Apples, and Imaginiff.

4. Arts and crafts

A craft project stimulates creativity and camaraderie. Paint flower pots, color eggs at Easter, decorate cookies at Christmas, or make pinecone bird feeders using peanut butter.

5. Read out loud.

Pick a book to read through as a family. This is a family tradition your children will appreciate (coming from a woman –Glynnis – whose mother read faithfully to her). Some family-friendly selections include The Trumpet of the Swan, The Secret Garden, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and any of the Chronicles of Narnia series.

6. Family sleepover

When Glynnis’ children were small, they’d spread blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows on the floor of the master bedroom for a sleepover. There was something special about ending the night together . . . sort of like a camping experience without the dirt. Karen’s children developed a “Siblings Night” where her three children piled into one room for a parent-free night of snacks, stories and song.

——-

Thank you, Karen and Glynnis! If you like these ideas, you’ll enjoy their newest book, Everyday Confetti. In this go-to guide, they’ll give you planning suggestions and the motivation needed to make time with family more intentional. They provide creative ideas and menu plans for:

• Holidays

• Birthdays

• Special Events

• Everyday Occasions

They’ll also be posting ideas monthly on their blog! Click here to check it out.

And today, I’m giving away 5 copies of Everyday Confetti. For your chance to win, leave a comment below with the one step you’re taking today to keep your family connected.

Related posts:

5 Ways to Survive Love Season
No More Perfect Moms
Friday Favorites: Intentional Gifts

The 5 Best Things to Say to a Friend Today

I remember sitting in the smelly middle school gym like it was yesterday. I’d survived the awkward and much dreaded moments of changing into my PE uniform in the girls’ locker room. And now I sat on the hard bleachers listening to the squeak of tennis shoes, the uneven cadence of bouncing balls, the teacher’s sharp sounding whistle, and the girls laughing behind me.

They weren’t laughing with me. That would have meant I was accepted and wanted and invited in to be a part of their group.

No, they were laughing at me. This meant I was not accepted, not wanted, and not invited in to be a part of their group.

I was the subject of their gossip. I was the punch line of their jokes.

And it hurt.

I imagine you know that hurt too. Change the scenery and the people and this same hurt can be found in most of our lives.

When your coworkers all make plans to go out to lunch but somehow your name was left off the email chain.

When that other preschool mom said, “Several of us moms are concerned with how your child seems so aggressive on the playground.”

When everyone else’s social media makes marriage look dreamy and uber-romantic as you’re crying yourself to sleep at night feeling like the loneliest married woman alive.

Then a friend steps in with a gentle smile and a few simple words of encouragement and suddenly, you’re not alone.

I want to be that friend for you today.

In the midst of whatever it is that’s made your heart feel a bit knocked off-kilter, can I whisper what I believe are the five best things one can say to a friend?

You’re wonderful.

Me too.

I’ll pray.

I’ll share.

Come over.

These aren’t incredibly profound but oh so needed. You know what I mean?

And if we need to hear these simple kind words, then might we dare to believe someone near us needs to hear them as well? I think a lot of us girls are terribly lonely.

So, imagine what good these words could do. Loving someone else is one of the most God-honoring things we can do today. After all, we’re reminded in Scripture that all the commandments can be summed up and fulfilled if we will love others (Romans 13: 8-10).

I came up with this list of 5 best things to say to a friend from Romans 12: 12-13 in a section appropriately titled, “Love.”

1. “You’re wonderful.”

(Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope…”)

What a loving thing it would be to infuse joyful hope into your friend’s life by reminding her of ways you think she is wonderful.

The world is quick to tell us girls of all the many ways we fall short. We are hyperaware of our faults and frailties.

So, what a precious gift to remind a friend of specific ways you notice that she’s a wonderful friend, a wonderful mom, a wonderful Jesus girl, a wonderful wife, a wonderful coworker, a wonderful person.

2. “Me too.”

(Romans 12:12, “…Patient in affliction…”)

What a gift it is to remind our friend that we all have afflictions, hurts, faults, and tender places. We all get sick both emotionally and physically.

The patient friend is one who freely gives grace because she so desperately needs it herself. “Me too” acknowledges that I’m no better than you but together we can get stronger. It is such a loving and disarming admission that we’re all in this together.

3. “I’ll pray.”

(Romans 12:12, “…Faithful in prayer.”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to express to a friend that you will absolutely be faithful in your prayers for her? I have a friend that prays for me so faithfully. She texts me Scriptures that she prays over my life.

But here’s what I really love about her. She doesn’t just pray about my situations. She prays me through them. She’s willing to circle my circumstances over and over with her prayers.

I honestly don’t know how she hasn’t gotten tired of praying for some of my same issues for so long. I get so tired of me… but she never does. What a gift. A gift I know I must pass on by being faithful in my prayers for others.

4. “I’ll share.”

(Romans 12:13, “Share with God’s people in need…”)

When we notice a need in a friend’s life, might we be willing to step in and at least be a small part of the solution?

I have a friend who literally lost every possession she owned due to a chemical spill in her home. So, we threw her a “Job (like the man in the Bible) Party.” Each of us brought a few things to help her family start over.

We didn’t even come close to fully meeting their financial needs. But we helped build a foundation of restoration and gave this family the assurance that God was working on their behalf.

5. “Come over.”

(Romans 12:13, “Practice hospitality.”)

Throwing open our front door to welcome a friend inside the sacred space of our home is such a needed gesture. There’s just something about relationships that are less pixilated where we get eye-to-eye, voice-to-voice… and talk. Really talk.

Over broken bread we share broken hearts. And then we celebrate the parts of us that are still intact. We reach across the table and across our differences to grab hold of the glorious bond of friendship.

Yes, these are 5 great things, maybe even the best things to say to a friend. Yes?

You’re wonderful.

Me too.

I’ll pray.

I’ll share.

Come over.

So, today, I pause and say them to you. Now, I haven’t quite figured out how to do that last one. It would be such a hoot trying to fit you all in my kitchen, but I sure am dreaming about it. What a crazy fun time we’d have.

My only request is that you bring one of those awful pictures from middle school you keep hidden away in the back of your closet. Then we can laugh and bond and wonder together why we ever thought it was okay to do our hair that way.

Related posts:

5 Ways to Survive Love Season
10 Prayers For Your Daughter
Dear God, Where Are You?

The Secret For Unleashing God’s Peace In Your Situation – #BEaNOTICER

I’ll never forget the night I helped my son edit his college term paper. Something he wrote was so powerful it jumped off my computer screen, grabbed my heart, and challenged my perspective.

If there was ever a secret for unleashing God’s powerful peace in a situation, it’s developing a heart of true thanksgiving. My son, Jackson, knows this.

The truly thankful person is a truly peaceful person. They have made a habit no matter what to notice, pause and choose.

Notice something for which to be thankful no matter what circumstance they’re in.

Pause to acknowledge this something as a reminder of God’s presence.

Choose to focus on God’s presence until His powerful peace is unleashed.

Jackson’s paper was about the corruption and greed that caused the civil war in his native land – Liberia, Africa. He did a great job recounting the facts of the story. But the difference between Jackson and most other kids explaining a historical event is before we adopted him, he lived in the midst of the horrific conditions of this war.

During one part of the paper, he described what it felt like to be naked digging through the trash looking for the treasure of thrown away food.

The treasure of thrown away food.

I can hardly type those words without crying. This is my son.

And yet, despite the horrific conditions of his childhood there was an unexplainable thread of peace woven throughout his recollection of the story. A powerful peace centered in the awareness of God’s presence.

I doubt any of us will find our treasure in thrown away food today. But will we be a noticer, a pauser, a chooser – a person of thanksgiving no matter what circumstance we’re facing?

I find this truth about the power of thanksgiving over and over in Scripture. What was the prayer Daniel prayed right before being thrown into the lion’s den and witnessing God miraculously shut the lions’ mouths? Thanksgiving.

After three days in the belly of a fish, what was the cry of Jonah’s heart right before he was finally delivered onto dry land? Thanksgiving.

How are we instructed to pray in Philippians 4:6 when we feel anxious? With thanksgiving.

And what is the outcome of each of these situations where thanksgiving is proclaimed? Peace. Powerful, unexplainable, uncontainable peace.

“And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 4:7).

Interestingly enough, one of Webster’s official definitions of thanksgiving is: “a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.”

Will you join me in celebrating God’s divine goodness today?

This week I’ve been posting about how to #BEaNOTICER (click here if you missed the first post, and here if you missed the second post.) Our final focus of this challenge is to be a noticer of the treasures in our hard circumstances.

Leave a comment below telling me how you are cultivating a heart of thanksgiving and seeing God in your struggle today. I’m choosing 3 winners for my #BEaNOTICER giveaway, which includes a copy of Unglued, Unglued Devotional: 60 Days to Imperfect Progress, and a set of Unglued key tags.

You can also share what you’re doing to be a noticer on social media. If you’re on Instagram or Twitter, post a picture and tag me @LysaTerKeurst using the hashtag… #BEaNOTICER.

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People-Pleasing

I Want To #BEaNOTICER With My Words

Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

We live in a day and time where our rights sometimes take precedence over our pursuit of righteousness.

I can be quick to offer a complaint when things don’t go right. I can be forgetful with my “thank yous” when things go well.

And I am challenged by this.

My husband owns a restaurant. If there was ever a man who cared to the depth of his being about serving his customers well, it’s my man. To him it’s not just about serving a great chicken sandwich. It’s about serving a life. It’s his opportunity to hand them a sandwich with a smile, a kind word, some kind of second mile gesture and, for that brief moment, make their day a little brighter, a little better.

And he never qualifies his kindness.

The grumpy customer gets the same kindness as the happy one.

He inspires me.

He is a man of the rare word.

It’s so easy to extend pleasantries to the person who is treating me right. But what about that moment when things aren’t so right? Might I see even that as an opportunity? An opportunity to reach past my feelings, my comfort zone, my rights and pursue righteousness in that moment?

Might I dare to be a woman of the rare word?

And might I even be so bold as to not just make kindness come out of my mouth but also be the meditation of my heart?

It’s not easy. But it is good.

My rights – make me feel accepted, good, and treated fairly.

My righteousness – my choice to make right choices that honor God daily.

So here’s the challenge I’ve issued myself – find the good.

In every situation, in every interaction, in every day – be a noticer of the good.

Even when the good has nothing to do with the circumstances and everything to do with how God will teach me through them – find the good.

And be a woman who is lavishly expressive of that good… who rarely, rarely, rarely utters the complaint.

This week I’m challenging myself and you, my blog friends, to #BEaNOTICER. (If you missed my first post, click here.) Today’s focus is to be a noticer of others and how we can bring happiness to the lives around us. Who could you lift up today? Maybe it’s simply thanking your cashier at Target by name, sending an encouraging text to a friend, or writing out Scriptures to pray your child through a tough time. Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Whatever you’re doing today to be a noticer, I want to hear about it! If you’re on Instagram or Twitter, post a picture and tag me @LysaTerKeurst using the hashtag… #BEaNOTICER.

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Learn To Love Your Story – #BEaNOTICER
Doing the Right Thing
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Learn To Love Your Story – #BEaNOTICER

I stood in my kitchen laughing with one of my kids picking hard macaroni out of the melted cheese in the crockpot. Apparently, noodles like to be boiled beforehand.

About the time I posted an Instagram picture of the dinner fiasco, I heard another daughter upstairs yelling for towels.

It took a minute for it to register why she was panicked. Then I saw the water leaking through my kitchen ceiling. Toilet water.

I ran. No, I flew upstairs yelling, “Turn that silver knob thing behind the toilet. Quick! Turn it so the water will shut off!”

Later that night, our couch-turned-dancing-springboard decided it would no longer tolerate overly energetic snow bound teens. RIP dear couch.

I’d laughed about the noodles. I’d dealt with the toilet water. I’d gotten quite miffed with the couch situation.

Another day.

Another page in what makes this life… my life… a story.

Not so much like the stories of books and big screens.

Those stories are a little more shiny and sexy and seemingly perfect.

Those moms don’t have cellulite probably because they don’t eat mac and cheese. The kitchen ceilings don’t have stains because… well because their kids don’t use too much two-ply toilet paper. And the couches don’t sag beyond repair.

But I love my story. I love my story most of all.

Why? How?

Because I pre-decided today that I would.

I decided I would look at it all through the lens of noticing the rich evidence of life through each mess and mishap.

Did I do it all perfectly? Nope, not at all.

But even if we choose to be noticers with thankful hearts just once today, we’ll start to look at our stories in a different way.

A more beautiful way.

While carrying the wet towels downstairs, I saw this and smiled…

I whispered, “Notice. Be a noticer. See all the fun represented here and thank God for these moments.”

Noticers see the lovely before them and learn to love their story.

This week, I’m writing several #BEaNOTICER posts. Today’s focus is to be a noticer in the midst of the messy and mundane. What might happen if you pre-determine to look through the lens of lovely today? Leave me a comment below sharing something you notice.

And if you’re on Instagram or Twitter, post a picture and tag me @LysaTerKeurst using the hashtag…#BEaNOTICER.

Love your story most of all.

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How Do Other Parents Seem To Have Their Act So… Together?

Chatter, chatter, chatter… that dialogue that runs like a never-ending tickertape in the back of our minds. That chatter can be especially loud and consuming when it comes to how we view our parenting skills.

I mean really, have you ever mentally beaten yourself up and wondered, “how do other parents seem to have their act so… together?”

It’s a lonely place to be. But here’s an encouragement: we aren’t the only ones who have those kind of thoughts… and we have the power to stop them.

My pastor, Steven Furtick, is sharing some of his honest, hard parenting moments with us today. He’s also sharing some great pieces of wisdom to help set us free from the negative inside chatter in our minds.

(If you are reading this blog from your email, you may need to click here to see the video.)

Don’t miss the limited time “buy one get one free” deal for Crash the Chatterbox that I mentioned in the video! For more information, click here.

I’m so grateful that Pastor Steven joined us this week. If you’re just popping in, and didn’t see the other interviews, click here for day one and here for day two.

And I’m doing one final giveaway of Crash the Chatterbox – three commenters will be chosen as winners. To enter, leave a comment below telling me your biggest takeaway from today’s interview.

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I’m Not Prepared To Fight My Struggles

We’re back with day 2 of some seriously honest conversations I’m having with my pastor, Steven Furtick.

The topic we’re tackling today? Doubt.

If your mind works like mine, doubt can feel like the uninvited visitor who hangs around way too much. It’s something I really struggle with – in my parenting, in my leadership, and in everyday decisions. Often, I’m too surprised by my struggles. And Pastor Steven has been showing me that if I’m surprised by my struggles, I won’t be prepared to fight them.

Thankfully, he’s answering some tough questions about doubt today and also providing some tangible ways to conquer that negative inside chatter. To see what I mean, watch the video below.

(If you are reading this blog from your email, you may need to click here to see the video.)

Wow… what an amazing perspective change on the struggles we face every day. One of my favorite takeaways from this interview was that a struggle is a sign that we haven’t been conquered yet. And Romans 8:37 tells us that we are MORE than conquerors. There is such freedom in that.

Like I mentioned in the video, the publisher of Crash the Chatterbox is offering a great “buy one get one free” deal today. For more information, click here.

I’m giving 3 copies away to randomly chosen commenters. To enter to win, leave a comment below telling me one doubt that you’re going to work on eliminating from your mind.

Tune in tomorrow for my third and final interview with Pastor Steven. It’s going to equip you in some amazing ways to crash the chatterbox in your mind – you won’t want to miss it.

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What You Always Wanted To Ask Your Pastor

One of the best things a Bible teacher ever told me was, “Me too.” That two-word statement stopped a vicious misperception I had that church was only for perfect people. And because I was so hyper aware of my imperfections, I determined church didn’t work for people like me.

I used to be the girl who walked into church on Easter and Christmas thinking everyone else had it all together. I looked around and felt like such an outsider.

No one admitted their struggles so I assumed that meant they didn’t have them.

I would hear whispers inside my head, “If they knew about your abortion, they’d shun you. If they knew about your chaotic emotional struggles, they’d avoid you. You don’t belong here. You’ll never fit in. No one else has a laundry list of issues like you do.”

When you think you’re the only one who has messed up, Satan can really do a number on your heart. I think that’s his strategy… to make us feel alone so he can divide and conquer.

But when a Bible teacher dared to admit their issues too, it opened my door to the hope of Jesus in a whole new way.

Honest conversations… I think we all need more of those in our lives. So, this week I thought you’d find it interesting and helpful to peek inside some honest conversations I recently had with an amazing Bible teacher… my pastor.

(If you are reading this blog from your email, you may need to click here to see the video.)

Like I mentioned in the video, the publisher of Crash the Chatterbox is offering a great “buy one get one free” deal today. For more information, click here.

And to enter to win one of the copies I’m giving away, leave me a comment below with how this interview helped you today.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow as the honest conversation continues. But if you can’t wait that long, you can tune in today to a live Crash the Chatterbox broadcast with Pastor Steven and me from 10am-6pm EST. We would love to have you with us. Click here to join in!

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5 Ways to Survive Love Season

February 15th can be a really tough day. No, you aren’t reading that wrong. It’s the day after Valentine’s Day.

As long as it’s February 14th there’s still hope for someone to bring you a flower… give you a chocolate something… sing you a song… write you a poem… say, “you complete me”… you get the picture.

But then the clock strikes midnight and disappointment takes you by the hand and wants to chat for a while. Today’s unmet expectations become tomorrow’s frustrations.

So, February 15th rolls around and suddenly the full impact of whatever was lacking on February 14th hits full force.

For my single friends it can feel like “Single Awareness Day.”

For my married friends it can feel like “the gaps in my marriage were so highlighted by yesterday’s lack.”

But I’m challenged to check my heart on this. I mean really check my heart. Here are five ways I’m challenging myself to not just survive but really thrive this love season:

1. What am I doing that’s feeding my expectations?

Maybe right now isn’t the best time to read a Nicholas Sparks book or watch movies with lines in them like, “You had me at hello” and “You complete me.”

2. What am I doing that comforts me in the moment but makes me feel awful just hours later?

Hint… put down the ice cream and don’t mix up the cookie dough. Just because the cookies aren’t baked doesn’t mean the calories don’t exist. This is just a totally hypothetical situation, of course.

3. Who can I bless this Valentine’s Day?

Instead of waiting to be loved, I should make the decision to give love. I have so many friends who need to know someone is thinking about them right now. And there are wonderful ministry opportunities to reach our hands out to those in need.

There is so much joy to be had when we seek to invest loving acts in others’ lives.

4. What can I go ahead and put on my schedule that will make me look forward to this season of love?

Instead of waiting to be asked, I can get proactive. If I have something to look forward to on my schedule, it gives my heart such a boost.

And it keeps me from that cookie dough!

5. Am I believing the “if only” lie?

If only I had a boyfriend. If only I had a husband. If only I had a more romantic husband.

“If only” can do quite a number on our hearts. Refuse to paint these pictures of Egypt.

Egypt – huh? Let me explain.

I got this thought from reading the Old Testament story about what happened to the Israelites when they were freed from captivity in Egypt. At first they were happy. And then when life got hard en route to the Promised Land, they started believing the “if only” lie… if only they’d never left Egypt they’d have pots of meat to eat.

But in Egypt they were mistreated slaves!

It’s so easy for us to paint the picture that our lives would be better “if only.” I’m determined to replace my “If only I had… I could” scripts with “Because I am… I can.”

Because I am loved by God, I can boss lies around.

Because I am loved by God, I can be so thankful for the people I do have in my life.

Because I am loved by God, I can choose to make this love season wonderful.

I pray these questions and simple ideas help. We’re all in this together sweet friends.

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Don’t Say You’ll Pray For Me

I’ve been convicted about empty statements. These are things I say to make a conversation a little more comfortable in the moment. But do I really mean what I’m saying?

Or empty statements can be little promises I allude to that give a needed lift to someone. But without a plan to actually keep that promise, do I really intend to keep it?

It’s not that these statements are wrong or bad or ill-intentioned. But they are empty at best and potentially hurtful at worst. People in my life deserve better than that.

I want to be a woman who exemplifies God’s Word by keeping my word.

The Bible is clear that our words matter. Our words carry weight. Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Our words can be gifts.

But if we say things that have no follow-through, it can be hurtful. It’s like holding out a gift but refusing to give it.

Here are three of those empty statements I want to stop saying if I don’t have a plan for follow-through:

1. I’m praying for you.

Obviously, I do want to pray for people. And sometimes when I say this, I really have great follow-through. But sometimes I forget.

A great intention doesn’t make for a great prayer.

So, I need to pray for that person right then and there or I need to keep a journal in my purse to write down prayer requests.

2. Let’s get together sometime.

Either I need to pull out my calendar and schedule time with someone or be honest about my current time constraints. The people-pleaser in me struggles with this.

But I know when people say this to me without any follow-through, it hurts. While I can’t change it being done to me, I can make a heart policy that I won’t do this to others.

3. I’m good, how are you?

Understandably, sometimes this is the right, polite statement to say when I’m just quickly greeting someone. But I will also say this to others with whom I really should be more open and honest.

I can be reluctant sometimes to even let close friends in to the needs I have bubbling below my “I’m good” statements.

If I will be more brave with opening up, it will give my friends permission to do the same.

So, there they are. My empty statements and my convictions to do a better job of saying what I mean and meaning what I say.

What about you? Do any of these resonate with you? Is there one you want to commit to working on this weekend? Let’s chat about this in the comments below.

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