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in susan narjala blog
When You Have to “Go Through It”
“We can’t go over it,
We can’t go under it,
Oh no!
We got to go through it.”
You may recognize those words from the beloved children’s book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
I remember animatedly reading the book to my kids when they were little, complete with impressive (if I say so myself) sound effects. In the book, ...
When You’re Emotionally Exhausted
There may be days when you feel completely wrung out. But you still go through the motions.
You do the laundry, drop the kids off at school, buy groceries, take out the trash. You smile at people who smile at you.
But it almost feels like an out-of-body experience because you’re not fully present.
The last two weeks ...
Seven Unhelpful Words When Someone Is Hurting (And What To Say Instead)
No one wants to be unempathetic when a friend is in a painful situation.
Or at least only a handful of Devil-Wears-Prada-type boss people actually set out to be callous about others’ problems. Most of us want to say the right thing to a hurting friend.
But, sometimes, one’s foot does this weird thing and gets stuck ...
Pray Your Way Through Uncertainty (YouVersion Devotional)
None of us are immune from life's "What if's?"
And the last year of the pandemic has only served as a highlight reel of how uncertain our lives can be.
As I write this, my Whatsapp groups are inundated with messages about vaccines and viruses, with concern for loved ones and how to access care packages. India ...
Two Words That Free You To Work More Fully
When you’re a writer with a relatively small platform, sometimes you’re looking for a seat at the table—to sort of wedge yourself into an already-crowded space.
In today’s world that often means a sizeable social media following (read: one of those blue ‘verified’ checkmarks next to your name) and an email subscriber list that’s about a ...
Journeying with Jesus – A Lent Devotional
We just celebrated Valentine’s at our house. We had family over for Asian food (side note: if you haven’t tried Burmese Khow Suey yet, I highly recommend it), and we wrapped up with lemon cheesecake.
There was no chocolate, no strawberries, and no bubbly. Instead, we had our fill of noodles and fried rice - perhaps ...
Honor Your Parents??? (YouVersion Devotional)
What does honoring parents look like when we’re adults? Is it even possible in our fragmented world? How does God expect us to honor our parents when they may have hurt us and where, sometimes, distance seems a wiser and less complicated option?
Clearly, most of us carry tons of emotional baggage when it comes to ...
Why I Needed to Unlearn My Favorite Bible Verse
Back in 2001, while I chugged through heavy coursework at graduate school in Upstate New York, I had one thing on my mind. I would like to tell you that it was assignments or making good grades because, after all, I had crossed continents and traveled across the seas to America for the first time ...