Twinkle Twinkle

This is what makes my life so full of joy...

Candyland and Repentance

"Mom, I just switched the pink card with the chocolate to be mine so I could jump ahead," whispers Joel in a confessional booth kind of way. "Oh," I respond, "Well, you should put your gingerbread man back to start then because you just cheated."

"Nooooo!" exclaims my handsome little five-year-old.

But with a little prompting, he pads back over to the colorful, candy-inspired sugarland board and places his blue piece back at the start. What started out as an innocent game of Candyland ended in a teachable moment about repentance.

You see, according the faith of our Jewish forefathers, confession is in the telling, repentance is in the correcting.

For those of us who believe in the repentance of sins we may have no trouble telling our God about our misdeeds, but are we willing to start all over, even when it could mean losing out on something important?

My hope is to be like my son, running to my God as soon as I mess up and correcting my mistake to demonstrate true regret and repentance.

A New Day

Ten long years of living in fear. Ten long years of living with overwhelming anxiety. Ten years too long of living under a dark and depressing cloud. And now? Well, the sun has risen in my heart and a new day has come.

My world looks fresh and exciting. I can laugh at the days to come. I feel different. I feel more alive. I feel better. I feel normal.

I've waited on God for a long time. I've prayed and hoped and held out for something more, something better than the life I was living. Today He has answered my prayers. Today He has made me free to be me, the woman He created with a purpose and for a reason.

There is hope on the other side of mental health illnesses. There can be a new day filled with joy and awestruck wonder and profound peace. Keep on hoping and praying. Don't give up. A new day will come.