Christy Johnson's Blog, page 2

Dealing with Issues that Happen Over and Over

When it comes to forgiveness its often the little offenses that cause the greatest frustration. The ones that happen frequently can create a mountain of bitterness.

Many times I prayed for God to remove the issue, but He was more interested in completing the work He began in me. His purpose was that I become mature, not lacking anything.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces...

Bond or Bondage

Lauren has always rushed into relationships. When she met Tyler, she ignored his controlling behavior and the way he isolated her from family and friends. Soon, she was trapped in a vicious cycle of manipulation and emotional abuse followed by profuse apologies and showers of affection. In the past three years, Lauren has broken up with Tyler more than five times, but cant seem to stay away. Tylers charm always convinces her that he has changed.

The power of romance is strong enough to...

Are You Addicted to Relationships?

Many women run from relationship to relationship. Our craving for acceptance holds us captive even when the bond is toxic because the need for the affirmation a relationship promises
can be very powerful. The resulting high is intoxicating and the addiction is real.

Its interesting, however, that the word addiction is not in the Bible, but dont let that make you discount how addictive relationships can be. Ephesians talks about the continual lust for more. A craving that is never satisfied....

How Do You Fight Fear?

Today we are all facing a giant. A giant of epidemic proportion with uncertainty crouching in every corner. We cant let fear destroy us, but how do we fight something we cant even see? How do we fight something that threatens to kill us or destroy our way of living?

Its easy to have faith when all is quasi-calm, but what about when chaos covers the earth? What do you do when:

fear and uncertainty have become your constant companions? you dont know how youll pay your bills? the recent...

4 Secret Weapons to Destroy Bitterness

Did you know bitterness is a poison? Bitterness not only affects our emotions, but left untreated, the toxins produced by bitterness eventually seep into our body as well. Resentment can cause all kinds of physical ailments.

In her book,Who Switched Off My Brain? Controlling Toxic Thoughts and Emotions, Dr. Caroline Leaf reports, “A massive body of research shows that up to 80% of physical, emotional, and mental health issues today could be a direct result of our thought lives. Resentment,...

How Do You Heal From Past Hurts

Recorded on Right to R.E.A.L. Love Radio podcast, the #1 Dating and Relationship podcast for Christians.

Getting over past relationships can be extremely difficult.

The memories. The songs you hear that trigger bursting emotions.

The anxiety that erupts when you accidentally run into them. Or the dread when you know you have to see them. And then there’s social media.

All of these can cause an emotional whirlwind. So how do you move past the past? How do you get over the pain?

Honestly, I...

When All Isn’t Merry and Bright

Christmas is a wonderful time of celebration, but for many women December spells difficult.

Hard. Even painful.

Loneliness, disappointments and lost hope. Toxic relationships or family members make gatherings trying. Divorce and separation can create a tremendous void and celebrating the first Christmas without a loved one can make grief unbearable.

Instead of glorious, December can be grim, especially when everywhere we look all we see are pictures invoking the joy of the season. How do...

Jake’s Girlfriend

Jake had sandy blonde hair, big brown eyes and pudgy cheeks. When he smiled, his grin exposed a missing front tooth. He knocked it out on the coffee table when he was learning to run. Most toddlers learn to walk first, but not Jake. You know the type—not happy at ground level and born to fly. Instead of crawling, Jake climbed cabinets and leapt from anything he could manage to conquer. Jake’s lop-sided grin didn’t distract from his appearance; rather his missing tooth punctuated his boldnes...

Nurse and Rehearse

Nurse and Rehearse

Have you ever been in a rut? Nursed and rehearsed issues until your brain is fried? I have. Trust me—it’s not a very nice place. I don’t think I’ve ever said, Hmm, I need a change of scenery…I’d like to stay in a rut. Let me go to Hotels.com and see if there are any nice ruts to visit.  

Nobody likes to stay in a rut. So why do we linger? Because once we get in one, they’re so hard to get out of. We get stuck. Being in a rut is like putting a quarter in one of those spira...

The CAST Model

“I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it,” said Trisha. “All the tell-tale signs were there that Nathan was having an affair, but every time I thought about it, I tried to convince myself that I was wrong. I’d get these pings in my gut. Little things that he’d say that would make me think, hmm, that doesn’t sound right. Too many things didn’t add up. I tried so hard not to judge him. Sometimes he’d leave for days on end saying he needed some space. If I questioned hi...