Over and over again, I have heard the anguished cry of someone saying to me, "But it's not fair!" Often I cannot offer them anything more than agreement; their situation and what happened to them is not fair. This world is not fair. The good die young while the wicked prosper and live to a [...]
It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking your worth as a person also comes from what you do instead of who you are. It is also easy to see your worth as being reflected off others instead of shining out from inside. When you allow other people or outside situations to [...]
On my desk at The Center in Edmonds, Washington, is a beautiful, flat rock. Carved into this rock that I use as a paperweight are the words, "Nothing is etched in stone." I keep this motto in front of me as a reminder that God has given me an overwhelming sense of freedom to exercise [...]
Few would disagree that, on average, most moms tend to spend more minutes per day with children than do most dads. Especially for young children, in most households, mothers are the primary caregivers as they engage in everyday business of living. While the ratios have changed with the higher percentage of women in the work [...]
Anxieties often start in the mind and fast-forward to the body, resulting in rapid breathing, or hyperventilation. When you hyperventilate, you take in more oxygen than you need. Your ratio of oxygen to carbon dioxide gets unbalanced, resulting in increased heart rate, tingling in your extremities, and feeling light-headed. Paradoxically, when you hyperventilate, you can [...]
Susan walked in the door from work, looking forward to nothing more than putting her feet up and petting the dog. No sooner had she hung up her coat than her middle schooler entered the family room with a look of consternation and guilt on his face. What now? she thought, feeling her moment of [...]
I can just hear some of you insisting, “I don’t care what other people think! I do whatever I want!” There is a strong urge in adolescence to declare your independence and say you only care about your own opinion. But be honest -- don’t you care what certain people think? Most kids have a [...]
This is one of the Media's favorite paths to happiness. If you can only find love, true love, you'll find happiness. Of course, Media is also filled with the abject misery that falling in love can bring, as represented in big-screen films, newspaper stories, reality shows, magazine articles, and weekly sitcoms. Love and its promises [...]
Even with so many people engaged in academic pursuit, there is still a sizable segment of the population who foregoes postsecondary education and instead jumps headfirst into the world of work. After that giddy, heady feeling of success and affirmation with the first job offer, comes the stark reality for many that you actually have [...]
One of the mistaken beliefs surrounding anxiety is that everything that happens centers around you. This mistaken belief can take on a life of its own when you are in anxiety overload. You become a raw nerve, jumping at everything that happens around you and at everyone you come into contact with. In such a [...]
