Posts
Hannah Morrell
Forgetfulness and Fear

I forget a lot of things especially when I’m afraid. I suppose a lot of us do. We revert back to running and hiding under the bed covers, trusting in them to save us from our fear. We forget who our God is, and what He has promised. I have been reading a lot about the people of Israel in the Old Testament, and I am reminded of my own forgetfulness as I see them witness incredible miracles and then turn away from God within days.

I fear darkness, and forget that Jesus is the Light of the world. I fear evil and forget that Jesus took away the power of evil forces through His death and resurrection. I fear Satan and demons, and forget that they are not more powerful than God. I fear pain, and forget that Jesus walks through pain and death with me. I fear being alone, and forget that I am never abandoned or forsaken by my Shepherd. I fear messing up, and forget that God doesn’t love me because I finally got it all right, but rather empowers me to do anything He calls me to. I fear curses spoken over me, and forget that the Cursebreaker Himself canceled all curses and they have power no more. I fear sickness and physical issues, and forget that the Healer heals us in all sorts of ways and it may not look like I expected. I fear loss and grief, and forget that my constant companion is a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and has no impatience for my emotion.

Forgetfulness and Fear
Posts
Hannah Morrell
Sweet Dependence

This year has not gone like I thought it would in so many ways—probably many of you have experienced the same. But today God reminded me that He has been teaching me about dependence, and kind of gave me a heads up that was where we were going this year! My verse for the year was Proverbs 3:5-6, and it’s been on repeat throughout the year.

I keep forgetting, though, and assuming I can do this life by myself. I realize I often don’t trust God, and do rely on my own opinions (even though that’s never helped me). I don’t rely on Him to guide me, and don’t look to Him as my Shepherd throughout decisions. But He is faithful to keep putting me in impossible situations where I remember.

None of us can do this life alone. We don’t have the wisdom, strength, patience, or love to walk in loving enemies, having hope in hopeless situations, or experiencing peace that makes no sense given the situation. God has all of that, and He is the one we get to depend on for this to blossom and grow in us. Whenever I get overwhelmed, it’s because I have decided it’s all up to me and God isn’t doing a thing about it.

Sweet Dependence
Posts
Hannah Morrell
The Surrounding Battles

I was thinking about David the other day, you know, the kid who took on a giant and won? I was thinking about how without human support he was as he faced down impossible odds. His dad sent him to take food to his brothers, implying he wasn’t strong enough to be a warrior and was only good for delivering food. His brothers mocked him for his curiosity about why everyone was hiding. He hadn’t forgotten who he was, or who their God was, but when he brought it up, he was met with dismissal and derision. His king tried to give him his armor, once again a demonstration that he was too small and insignificant to do any of these crazy stuff he was threatening. But he went anyway. He knew who God had made him to be, and he knew who his God was through him. Don’t let the rejection or scorn of others define who you are or who your God is.

David didn’t fight Goliath like the giant wanted him to do. Jamie Winship pointed out in a talk recently that David didn’t try to go wrestle him or fight him with a sword. He didn’t let the enemy determine how the battle was fought. He stood in his identity and the training God had led him through as a shepherd on the hillside with his sheep—he needed a sling and some rocks. Don’t let the situation dictate how the battle should be fought.

The Surrounding Battles
Posts
Hannah Morrell
Not Growing Weary

One of my husband’s firefighter friends had a terrible accident a couple of weeks ago, falling 50 feet in a training exercise and suffering traumatic brain injury along with lots of other wounds. One of the crew has been sending out updates on his status as he remained in the hospital and they evaluated spinal cord injuries, brain function, etc. He is on a positive trend, but the wins are so small that you can miss them sometimes. The thing that struck me was the update from the firefighter in which he said that the doctor had told him they need to compare things week-to-week rather than day-to-day. When we examine the wins and losses for one day, it can seem negative or nonexistent. But when we compare where he was a week ago to where he is today, there is a positive trajectory that displays growth and healing.

Not Growing Weary
Posts
Hannah Morrell
Battling Discouragement

Several years ago, I received an email from a brother in Christ reprimanding me for saying that followers of Jesus could be discouraged or anxious. He tried to tell me that I was wrong for suggesting it, and that couldn’t be part of the believers’ experiences. I wanted to respond in anger, maybe trying to fight back for all the amazing people I have worked with who struggle with these things and not because they are messing up. Instead, God directed me to sit in the Psalms for a while, seeing the pattern so often with David of despair and hopelessness turning to new hope and encouragement.

Psalm 42 is a great illustration of this pattern, and I recently went through it again to look for David’s process in dealing with his own discouragement. I think so often we see discouragement as the end, rather than another place to hear from God and walk back through His faithfulness to a place of encouragement. Here are the steps that I see David taking in moving from darkness to light.

Battling Discouragement

grief

Forgetfulness and Fear

Forgetfulness and Fear

I forget a lot of things especially when I’m afraid. I suppose a lot of us do. We revert back to running and hiding under the bed covers, trusting in them to save us from our fear. We forget who our God is, and what He has promised. I have been reading a lot about the people of Israel in the Old Testament, and I am reminded of my own forgetfulness as I see them witness incredible miracles and then turn away from God within days.

I fear darkness, and forget that Jesus is the Light of the world. I fear evil and forget that Jesus took away the power of evil forces through His death and resurrection. I fear Satan and demons, and forget that they are not more powerful than God. I fear pain, and forget that Jesus walks through pain and death with me. I fear being alone, and forget that I am never abandoned or forsaken by my Shepherd. I fear messing up, and forget that God doesn’t love me because I finally got it all right, but rather empowers me to do anything He calls me to. I fear curses spoken over me, and forget that the Cursebreaker Himself canceled all curses and they have power no more. I fear sickness and physical issues, and forget that the Healer heals us in all sorts of ways and it may not look like I expected. I fear loss and grief, and forget that my constant companion is a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and has no impatience for my emotion.

Cry of the Broken-Hearted

Cry of the Broken-Hearted

We cry out from a broken heart,
Shards lying all around us on the ground.
Our tears pour out—
It feels like they will never end.

The pain explodes from within us,
Our chests feeling like they will break apart.
Lying face down on the ground,
Our desperate plea for help and rescue escaping our lips.

Our Kind Shepherd is here,
Never leaving, never abandoning us in grief.
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief Himself,
He will not turn away.

Depression and Despair

Depression and Despair

What do you do when the aching fingers of sadness seem to take hold of your heart and your head and won’t let it go? When the thought of getting out of bed and facing the day causes you to roll over and forget the whole thing? When the obsession with all the stupid things you’ve said, the flaws in your appearance or demeanor, or the ways you’ve been let down begins to drown you in self-pity and despair?

Comfort, Rest and Temper Tantrums

Comfort, Rest and Temper Tantrums

Sometimes I throw temper tantrums about my life.I might as well be a 2-year-old with the fits I can have concerning all the things I feel I should not have to be experiencing, the comparisons I make to find myself lacking, and the struggles of others I want to wish away. I get mad at God, at the situation and at myself. It’s really hard for me to understand rest in the middle of struggle.

Sacred in the Mundane

Sacred in the Mundane

I need the revelation of the sacred in the mundane, the extraordinary in the everyday and the supernatural in the earthly sameness. I forget so easily, and go about my day with crazy drivers and bickering kids and toilets to clean. Maybe for you it’s the emptiness or sadness or stillness rather than the busy.

How Do You Find the Strength for Today?

How Do You Find the Strength for Today?

This morning, so many people woke up and couldn’t dream up the strength to get out of bed.  I can think of ones who face chronic pain and illness, ones who woke to support loved ones at yet another doctor’s appointment, ones who see an uncertain future for a rocky relationship, ones who approach what seems like an insurmountable obstacle.

Light in the Darkness

Light in the Darkness

Sometimes the darkness feels so scary and bleak. The unknown staring at us makes us feel as if we will never get through, and even if we do, we might hate what’s on the other side. Sometimes the pain seems too much, the loss too great. We feel alone, discouraged and filled with anxiety.

When Christmas Hurts

When Christmas Hurts

Christmas time is here! For me, Christmas is a beautiful time of year to refocus and worship the King of Kings. It does not for one second mean that this time is without turmoil, conflict, frustration and sadness. It’s interesting to me that throughout the Bible, God comes for those who are weak, unqualified and not at all what the world would choose as His representatives. And He does things in ways that they would not have chosen for themselves.

The Race

The Race

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1, 2

Walking with the broken to find hope in Jesus