Ashlie Miller

By Ashlie Miller

Christmastime is a season of showering others with love in many ways – giving gifts, spending quality time with family and friends, giving more hugs than usual, sending greeting cards wrapped in encouragement, and serving by hosting, helping, and assisting. Our love tanks can be full if we are on the receiving end. However, if we are the givers and trying to show this love from within ourselves, it can leave us feeling depleted and exhausted rather than hopeful, peaceful, and joyful. 

Genuine love does not originate from within ourselves. It comes from heaven because:

“Love Came Down at Christmas”

Love came down at Christmas,

Love all lovely, Love Divine,

Love was born at Christmas,

Star and Angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,

Love Incarnate, Love Divine,

Worship we our Jesus,

But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,

Love be yours and love be mine,

Love to God and all men,

Love for plea and gift and sign.

(Christina Rosetti)

Jesus Christ, as truly God and truly man, was born for Christmas – even if His birth was not in December. As my Uncle Doug recently said to a young cashier in the checkout line who argued this point, “What matters is that He was born into my heart!” Love naturally manifests within the Godhead because God is love (1 John 4:7-9) and overflows into humanity as the pinnacle of creation – not because God needed us, but because He purposed to share that love for our own sake that we would know that kind of love.

The love of God is too vast for one column or even a robust paper. Here are only a few descriptions that come to mind: 

God loves us so much He sent Jesus, his only Son (John 3:16). The Father’s love is abundant (Psalm 86:15), an enduring love (Psalm 136:26), a faithful love (Deuteronomy 7:9), and love that allows us to be called “children of God” (1 John 3:1).

The love of Christ is one from which no temporal, earthly threat can separate us (Romans 8:35-39) and a limitless, unmeasurable love (Ephesians 3:18). He loves us so much that He willingly left the glory and love in heaven to dwell among men, Emmanuel. “All for love’s sake became poor” (from the song “Here I am to Worship”). Because He first loved us, we can begin to love others (1 John 4:19). Our very capacity to love is a gift from God! Because of that gift, as Christians, love should naturally overflow so that we can love one another (1 John 4:11). Our love for one another marks our very identity as disciples and Jesus-followers (John 13:34-35).

If you are a fellow believer, we can walk in love, with love, to love this season with hope, peace, and joy. If you do not know this gift of Jesus and the love of God, I pray you are on the receiving end of abundant love this season. 

Ashlie Miller is a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom residing in Concord, NC. You may reach her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

By Ashlie Miller

Christmas Eve night, after the candlelight service, a drive through neighborhoods with pretty lights, and hot cocoa accompanying a shepherd’s meal of bread, nuts, and cheese, our family finally arrives home late in the evening. Upon arrival, the five children, ranging from a small six-year-old boy to a couple of lanky teens, change into comfortable jammies and pull as many blankets, pillows, cushions, and mattresses as possible into our snug living room. Tonight is the night – the night before Christmas!

Each year, I ask my older ones if they still want to sleep by the tree on Christmas Eve, and every year, they give a whole-hearty “Yes!”. It is that feeling of joy they long to experience, unmatched by any other regular night of the year. When they are young, the joy is about waking up and seeing if that deeply desired gift is under the tree. I think as they get older, they look forward to the experience of joy that we share as a family. They, too, enjoy watching little ones open their gifts. 

Anticipating joyfully in a jolly season is not particularly difficult (waiting with patience is another story). But enduring with joy when things are painful can be more than a mere challenge. Seasons of grief over a loved one or lost dream, sorrow over a strained relationship, uncertainty over a current situation of health or provision are just a few of the many challenging circumstances that can stifle joy.

Sometimes, we are tempted to think these expressions of joy in such situations are not authentic to who we truly are. We are told to express our true feelings – “don’t hide how you feel,” “you be you.” For Christians, I wonder if we have traded “authenticity” for obedience and living a peculiar and set-apart lifestyle that is a sweet-smelling aroma to Christ and to others watching from the outside. How does Scripture direct us?

• Consider it joy when facing trials because the process brings steadfastness, character, hope, and completeness (James 1:2-3; Romans 5:3-5). We can be joyful in the process by trusting the outcome for our wholeness. 
• Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, endured many sorrows and affliction, but his perspective was upward focused – “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich; as having nothing yet possessing everything” (1 Corinthians 6:10). Difficult times with the proper perspective make way for rejoicing and can bless others along the way.
• When we abide in the presence of God by reading His word – where He makes known the path of life – and diligently obey, we experience the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11; John 15:1-11). That close abiding ensures that our circumstances do not shake us because we dwell securely in God, which brings joy in troubles (Psalm 16:8-9).

Where do you find yourself this holiday season? Is it a place of finding it easy to rejoice because things are going well? Or is it a painful season of growth that can point to wholeness, an opportunity to reset your gaze and perspective upward, or a time to revisit what it means to abide and dwell securely even amid uncertainty? In any case, you can rejoice if you know the One who provides fullness of joy.

Ashlie Miller is wife to Chad Miller (pastor of Mission Bible Church in Charlotte). They raise their five children in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

A familiar scene if you love the movie “A Christmas Story” – mother and the old man are sitting together, sipping a drink, and looking outside after an explosion of wrapping papers thrown about by Ralphie and Randy on Christmas morning. My husband and I have grown to resonate with this scene in the last several years. My husband has intentionally taken PTO the week after Christmas because it provides a peaceful culmination after a busy year, much less a busy month. Ideally, there may be a chill in the air, even cold rain, forcing us to embrace the peaceful surroundings of the home.

Peace is often like that, arriving after much chaos rather than the self-realized ethereal feeling that one seldom actually can achieve. No, real peace can come after devastation and destruction because real peace is a Person – Jesus Christ.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27.) Wait! “Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid”? Why would Jesus say that after declaring the peace He would leave them?

In a class I co-teach weekly, we recently referenced entropy in the second law of thermodynamics (no, this isn’t a science class – it’s a Biblical foundations class). Over time, systems become more disorderly and uncertain. We began discussing that if a bomb goes off, the result is disorder, death, and chaos rather than wholeness and order. One young man offered this thought – “But didn’t the bombs dropped on Japan in 1945 end up in peace?” Naturally, we explained that we meant the literal consequences of shrapnel and pieces on cities and people. But that got me thinking – maybe this young man is right. Order and peace after devastation.

Consider Mary. After 400 years of silence from God – no prophets, no angels making appearances – suddenly Gabriel appears with news and a message. Although prefacing the message with a “Fear not,” he gives Mary the news that she will be with child, but not just any child, THE Child who will be the promised Messiah. While Mary’s response was worshipful and grateful to serve humbly, would that have been my response or yours? The pregnancy was not the result of sinful actions. This was what God was allowing her to experience – and it would result in shame and loneliness. It could have resulted in her death. And yet, there she is, worshiping immediately after the bombshell news. Why?

Think about your life, maybe even this year – has a bomb dropped into your lap? Did it meet you with despair and grief, leaving you to wonder about God’s love, goodness, and purposes for you? As you look at the shrapnel of broken pieces – dreams, hopes, plans – do you wonder if you can ever be whole and useful? What was the purpose of all of this anyway?

Before you continue in a tailspin, consider – God delights in using broken pieces because it brings Him glory. The Person of peace, the Prince of Peace stepped down from heaven to be among men to find broken pieces and put them together to bring restoration and healing.

God allowed Mary to be put into a position of shame to bring peace ultimately. Could He be looking at the fragments from the explosion in your life as a way to bring you to peace with Him? We already know from last week’s Advent candle that Hope and Faith give us the confidence to believe in Him. It is not merely blind faith built on nothing. Imagine walking in that confidence and experiencing true Peace with God this holiday season. It is possible because Peace is a Person who dwells among us.

Ashlie Miller is wife to Chad Miler, pastor of Mission Bible Church in Charlotte, NC. Together they are parents of five children in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

“What Christmas tradition reminds you of hope or faith?” I asked my husband as we drove for another lovely Thanksgiving meal. As a boy, he spent the night with his Mamaw Miller after Thanksgiving dinner to help decorate the Christmas tree. This was the beginning of the Christmas season for him and likely for many readers growing up.

Then, there was the inquiry from parents and grandparents, “What is it you really hope will be under the Christmas tree?” Things were getting serious now! Our hopes were in seeing our joys fulfilled. Adults intended to fulfill our deepest, yet most affordable, Christmas wishes! They, too, had hopes – those of delighting and bestowing joy on us. That was enough to bring them joy. Hope and waiting hold hands, don’t they?

Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope.”

This first week of Advent, we contemplate hope and faith. Yes, there may be temporal, earthly things we are waiting for beyond simple material gifts. It could be certainty about direction, healing for a loved one, or provision for needs. I believe God allows the human heart to experience these longings and hopes to point to a greater hope that the Christian has – the return of the Savior and His setting things right on earth and in heaven – the perfecting of brokenness. 

Waiting is difficult. Just ask my 6-year-old, who, even as I am typing this, is asking and pleading, “Is today the day you will get down my small Christmas tree?” We can wait with hope because of the beautiful gift of faith. God’s faithfulness to Israelites in the Old Testament helped them believe He would fulfill His covenants and promises. His faithfulness and personal involvement in our lives assures us of what we hope for according to His will. We can silence the lies of “Does God care? Does He see and know my hopes?” by reading His Word – the very breath of God whispering to our hurting hearts or shouting down our doubts. 

In Latin, the word for Advent is “adventus” meaning “coming.” Though we may think Advent points only to a newborn babe in a manger, upon second glance, today’s Advent anticipates the arrival of The Just and Righteous Judge and King. Because God has been faithful and cannot deny His character, we can fully trust with confidence that He will complete the plan He began. 

What about you? What traditions fill you with hope and faith during the holiday season? I encourage you to ask that question of others this first week of Advent. What are you anticipating? Share your memories and traditions with younger friends and your hopes with confidants who care. 

One more verse as we approach the remaining themes for Advent: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” – Romans 15:13

By Ashlie Miller

Are you enjoying the gifts of the season yet? No, I’m not asking what you purchased on Black Friday or during the two weeks of sales before Thanksgiving. As much as I love Thanksgiving, I am not even talking about the time with family gathered around a turkey or a television screen filled with football games. 

Consider the gifts in the skies that this season brings! Meteorologist Brad Panovich posted on Facebook shortly after the change back to standard time that “Early sunsets are viewed by more people. Darkness also allows more viewing of astronomical events. It’s not all bad!” He also reminded followers that this is a return to standard time. Standard – as in normal. Yet somehow, we easily slip into discontent and remorse over what we have lost rather than seeing what we have regained. 

Seasons of nature are gifts from the Creator! When did you last watch the sunset with a child or an elderly friend who typically has an earlier bedtime? Each evening, a curtain is drawn to close the day and signal the beginning of a dazzling nocturnal display in the heavens. 

“We make ourselves present to delight in your handiwork, O Lord. We make ourselves present to revel in his unique, one-time display of your dynamic and infinitely-faceted glory.” (“A Liturgy for Sunsets” from Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey, 2021.)

Many astral events occur late at night – I have a star-gazer who often asks to wake up at odd hours of the evening and early morning to look at the skies. But now, we can see some of them earlier. When was the last time you spread out a blanket or chair to take a look up? 

When was the last time I did? I will admit these early nights have me wiped out and loving the snuggly sensation of being wrapped up in bed with a book or magazine. Perhaps we could take just one evening a week to look up as the Creator meets us in the vast cathedral with ceilings covered in a breathtaking masterpiece! Rather than complaining about “kids these days,” maybe we woo them into the miraculous space met with wonder, praise, and gratitude, and there they rethink the allure of the hypnotic LED glow of portable devices as they watch a supernatural show in the heavens with us.

“O Spirit of God, draw praise from us here in this cathedral of creation, beneath this starry dome. Awaken our adoration in this place where we are so very small – and yet so greatly loved.” (“A Liturgy for Stargazing” by McKelvey.)

If we allow it, there is much awe that can capture even the most cynical spirit during this autumn season. In the busyness of the shopping season, see the gift of earlier nights and embrace them for the opportunities of wonder, praise, and gratitude they can provide, and consider sharing that with a loved one. 

Ashlie Miller looks for twinkles in the sky in Concord, NC with her husband, Chad, and their five children.

By Ashlie Miller

“It feels like 11 p.m., and it’s only 6 p.m.!” Several nights this week, children have found me wrapped in a blanket (with the a/c on because it is unseasonably warm, even for NC) and snuggled in my bed, anticipating bedtime. Yes, standard time can hit us hard. Falling asleep is not always the problem; waking at 5:00 a.m. is the conundrum – ask any young mom of toddlers and infants. I have more difficulty shutting off my brain to fall asleep as I age, so I occasionally pop a natural sleep aid like melatonin. On other late nights, I wake up with a random thought like – “What was the next line to the song I learned in 2nd grade?” – which prevents the completeness of a good REM cycle. Unfortunately, when that hits at 3 a.m., it is not a good time for a melatonin rescue.

These are times when remembering things I am grateful for can be helpful. For those who are already deep in their Christmas movie watching, a song from “White Christmas” comes to mind:

“When I’m worried, and I can’t sleep

I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings

When my bankroll is getting small

I think of when I had none at all

And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”

What does the Bible say about how to rest and have peace?

Psalm 116:7 – “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.”

Proverbs 17:22 – “A joyful heart is good medicine.”

Proverbs 15:13 – “A glad heart makes a cheerful face.”

Recalling God’s bounty with praise and contentment brings gladness and rest!

Isn’t it something that our Creator enabled us to have a memory? Why is that? While some may say it is a natural instinct developed for survival with disregard to a Higher Being engaged with our life, why do we remember more than places to find provision? Why do we feel grateful to someone for things and experiences? Why do we express (or at least SHOULD express) thankfulness? Food for thought.

I can thank my Father for giving me a mind to remember. I can then be grateful for a heart that wants to express thanks rather than having a sense of deserved entitlement. Next, I can regularly utter thankfulness audibly as outward praise and inwardly as that never-ceasing prayer – because prayer is not always an ask but also a language of thanks.

Is your heart troubled this season? Does it struggle to find rest? Foster a spirit of gratitude through prayer and praise. May you fall asleep counting your blessings!

Ashlie Miller is thankful for so much in her journey of life with her husband Chad and their five children in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

This year, many lawn adornments for Halloween were larger than life and maybe larger than death. November 1, many cleared out the skeletons and made way for Christmas, perhaps mixing a few pumpkins in with their nutcrackers.

During 2020, there was such a longing for Christmas in our household that I broke our tradition of waiting until after Thanksgiving and put up some decor earlier than usual. We all needed a sense of hope that year. I am no Scrooge. As you may recall, we incorporate Christmas in July to help us press on for the year. 

How quickly we can change gears from an ominous celebration of death to one of cheer. Instead of being a season of cheer, however, Christmas can be a time of dreary loneliness and dissatisfaction that can leave us feeling empty.

How can we be full as we enter? Although Thanksgiving is not a Church holiday, I see a Divine placement for us in the busy West – a moment to pause and to praise, to reflect and express gratitude. Why have we, as a nation who initiated this celebration, seemingly drifted from its original intent? Other than looking forward to a huge feast, how many of us take time to wonder at God’s provision and presence?

From a grateful heart, a busy season becomes a cheerful season as we seek to pour out goodness on others, filling our calendars with people more than mere things to do, see, or buy. December will ask me to give much of myself – not just financially but mostly my time and attention. The month can drain even a full sponge, but being filled to the brim is a good place to start. Those filled with gratitude are springs of life, equipped to navigate busy seasons with grace and joy. 

What does the Bible say about a heart of gratitude?

A guarded heart will be a wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23), bursting forth with a mouth that can speak life (Luke 6:45).

If we overflow with words like that, they can be healing words in a rough season for others (Proverbs 16:24).

Gratitude helps us navigate through any season (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

It makes beautiful experiences (like experiencing God’s presence) even more joyful! (Psalm 95 and 150, for starters).

By all means, put the skeletons back in the closet (or in the storage shed you had to rent to keep those massive ones) and start putting up the tree, but please, please don’t do a disservice to yourself and others by skipping over a pause for praise in November. Love others enough to want to share healing words, yourself enough to want to be full of joy and contentment, and God enough to give Him the gratitude He is due. Maybe start with thinking of one thing to be grateful for each day.

Ashlie Miller adorns her door this month with a harvest wreath circling the verse Psalm 118:1. Her pastor is her husband (Chad), and they parent five children in Concord. 

By Ashlie Miller

Who doesn’t love a fall weekend getaway? Sometimes, it can be spontaneous, with less pressure to have things in order at home before embarking. However, many of us still handle a few things before leaving for even 48 hours – taking out the garbage, removing smelly foods from the fridge, and wringing out the kitchen sponge or rag. No one wants to come home to a foul odor after breathing in the refreshing air of the Blue Ridge Parkway, apple cider from the orchard, or comforting candles at the general store. Have you ever returned home from such a trip only to be welcomed by the souring stench of a sitting sponge?

We can be like soured sponges in life, too – soaking up many good things but never wringing out the goodness within. Last week’s column spoke of the peace Jesus left for Christians in Matthew 24 when considering “times like these” (or end times as Christians refer to it). He told the disciples and future readers of the gospel to be careful who they listen to, not to be alarmed by what transpires, and trust God to keep them – all very sound, peace-giving counsel.

Jesus’ words did not end there. Those words led to His following command – proclaim this gospel to the world. How interesting – when asked for help by the disciples, Christ first calms and assures but then leaves them with the charge to go and tell the life-saving message of deliverance from the wrath to come because “the end is not yet.” After preliminary warnings through natural disasters and wars raging, we have time to declare a life-giving message – truth from the gospel. 

What does it look like to proclaim? We often turn our heads to our local pastor or even to the missionary we support as responsible for evangelizing and sharing the gospel. We, however, are not exempt from personally sharing. The great commission is for all Christian believers. We do our best to live lives of integrity, hard work, and joy at work or school. We make the most of opportunities to discuss where the joy comes from. When neighbors or others need practical help, we offer practical comfort (like an encouraging word, a hot meal, babysitting, or using our tools) and seek to cultivate time to discuss eternal things. In relationships, we share our story, God’s story – a story of redemption from sin. We can even use the myriad social media platforms to share the message of hope (people are scrolling to find it).

Those with a living relationship with Jesus have a heart full of hope. Suppose we are content to keep it to ourselves. In that case, we will no longer be a sweet-smelling fragrance but become a souring stench to our Savior and those around us. Someone who does not open themselves to the vulnerability of sharing the message may come across as personable in public, shaking hands and kissing babies, yet never genuinely share warmth in private relationships at home with their family or by welcoming the stranger. They look like a sponge full of hope but are filled with stagnated water. Yuck! Do we greedily hoard the hope of the gospel? Smelly sponges either get tossed or undergo a thorough cleansing process and become willing to be used and wrung out.

If you have a life-giving message, you are not destined to sit or soak in comfort and peace. When alarmed by what we see unfolding before us, we can spend time sharing conspiracy theories or the latest viral news feed, or we can do what Christ said – warn but also introduce people to hope along with it.

Ashlie Miller is a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom of five children who often wait in the car far too long while she wrings out sponges and throws out the trash before an adventure. 

By Ashlie Miller

Headlines, social media, even at church – you can’t escape talk of recent events in the Middle East or the natural disasters that have made 2023 a record-setting year. Your local pastor or the one you tune into via podcast, radio, or television may have brought it up as a prayer point, interrupted a sermon series to speak from Revelation, Daniel, and other Old Testament passages, or brought Christ’s words to warn or encourage Christians. Why all the fuss? As well as being the world’s religious center, God also sees Israel as the geographic center (Ezekiel 5:5).

At my church, our pastor (my husband) shared Christ’s words about days like these, which you may have heard Christians refer to as “end times.” The highlights of Christ’s message to his disciples, when they asked about the timing and signs of Christ’s coming and the end of the age, come from Matthew 24:

Be careful who you listen to (verses 4-5). Warnings of false teachers who had already crept into the church abound in the epistles (letters to the first-century Christians). If you wonder if false teachers pose a threat today, tune into your favorite podcast, streaming network, or social media. TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms are the new pulpits and podiums where many can say too much and hardly anything. Charisma leads the way, where anyone with enough charm or resources can influence the masses. Open your own Bible and read along while you hear someone preaching. Examine the scriptures they quote in the context of the whole passage. Are they using human reasoning or only current social contexts while ignoring specific scriptures? Warning flag! It may be time to keep scrolling or unfollow. 

Do not be alarmed (verses 6-8). Rather than panic or despair as the world groans even physically through massive earthquakes, droughts, fires, floods, and nations rage (verses 6-8), we can remember that God is still good despite the evil in the world. Joni Eareckson Tada, a Christian author, artist, and speaker with quadriplegia, once said, “Sometimes, God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.” Christians can remember that God is faithful, fulfills his promises, and accomplishes His plans despite and sometimes in spite of how man chooses to operate. The world may seem to be falling apart at times, but the end is not yet (verses 9-13).

Trust God to keep you (verse 13) – “those who endure to the end will be saved.” Remember the Sunday school song, “He’s got the whole world in His hands”? Consider also Colossians 3:3, if you believe in Christ as the way to God, dying to yourself, “your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

How kind that our Savior would remind us of these things to calm us down in times like these. That seems like enough, is it? Christ says more than that. If you want the “spoiler alert,” read verse 14 of Matthew 24. Next time, an incredible challenge and charge to Christians.

Ashlie Miller is wife to her pastor, Chad Miller, and mother to five children, all residing in Concord, NC.

By Ashlie Miller

While many proclaim the joys of autumn, for others, the fall brings a sense of dread of living through dark, cold isolation. I can recall dreading the season when I lived in a house with fewer windows than I have now, feeling suffocated by the lack of light. 

While reading through the Gospel of John with our church in both large gatherings and small groups recently, I came to a scene of such darkness and hopelessness. I wonder if you can relate. 

It had been dark – not just that early morning, not just at midday a couple of days before – but in the atmosphere of the brothers, those who had followed closely. Though Jesus communicated that He would not be the political messiah or social justice warrior their people longed for to ease their pain, they still hoped there would be more. Mary Magdalene had also followed closely, watching the One who had forgiven her, radically changed her, and truly loved her give sight to the blind, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. Perhaps she had also hoped with wonder at this strange idea of a “the kingdom.” But no, all that was gone – brutally killed and buried. 

Wrecked with grief, she does the one thing she can to continue serving Jesus, going through the motions of ministering to Him, even if it were an empty charade now. It was still dark – at the tomb and in her spirit – but surely it could not get worse. Wait! The immovable rock sealing the tomb has been moved. Had someone arrived before her, stepping into the cherished role of caring for His body? NO! His body is missing! She runs to the disciples, hoping they can help her make sense of this tragedy upon a tragedy. As two of them have their own experience at the tomb, Mary is still perplexed, unable to understand it all now. Absorbed in tears that further cloud her mind and vision, she sits outside the grave, squinting to see men in white sitting in the tomb. One asks why she weeps. Choking down tears as she tries to call out His name, she can only say that she does not know who has taken her Lord and where they have laid Him. 

Then, another man, coming out from among the flowers, asks why the tears and for whom she is looking. Again, she pleads for answers so she can serve, the one thing that can bring her joy at this point. Then, with clarity, this gardener, this tender of the soil and growing, living things, says one simple word – “Mary.” The name was common enough during that time, but the One speaking it makes the difference. She knows that voice and realizes the speaker knows her. He is not dead! Hope is not lost! The darkest night and morning are over! Though gentle and lowly in heart, He is the mighty conquering victor over death and the grave! 

Things are very different now. No longer needlessly going through the motions of service, she can serve joyfully at promises fulfilled, hope and peace being present in a Person. 

It may seem odd to write about the resurrection in autumn. But in a season marked with things fading and a future glimpse of the coming season marked by little to no life, you may be painfully reminded of a personal season marked with much darkness, sadness, and loneliness. Your judgment is off. You want to believe what you know is true, but so much in your face screams otherwise. Tears are not cleansing – they are clouding. Take heart – the Lord sees and is not far off. Cry out those tears of honesty and frustration! He hears. He will call your name soon. Continue to serve. It may seem routine, but it is the best thing you can do now. Recall God’s past faithfulness to His promises.

However, remember the only way to recall what is true is to abide in the truth. God’s Word is that unchanging, life-giving Truth. 

Ashlie Miller is wife to Chad (a pastor in Charlotte) and homeschooling mom to five children in Concord, NC. You may contact her at ashliemiller.com.