Category: The Lighter Walk

More Learning From Loving our Four-legged Friends

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date June 20, 2026
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Part Two

I wrote last time about how a little long-haired Chihuahua came into my life and changed it. He’s a little traumatized from his past, which I know nothing about. The only thing I know is he’s been abandoned three times and he can become a little attached to me and fearful that someone will take him away again. That’s OK because I have become attached to him too.

Pets bring a special joy to our lives. If we step back in to the creation story, we see that the Creator asked the created human to care for all the animals; and we are still doing it. The mystic Meister Eckhardt wrote:

Apprehend God in all things,

For God is in all things.

Every single creature is full of God

And is a book about God.

Every creature is a word of God.

If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature- even a caterpillar-

I would never have to prepare a sermon.

So full of God is every creature.

Butterflies at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

For our family, we’ve always had animals that at one point or another needed special care. Our little cat Junior developed high blood pressure which led to a swelling around his eye. In order to save his life, he had to lose an eye. It was a horrible thing to go through with him, especially since there was no way his little brain could comprehend why it happened. He went through the surgery, like a trooper, and came home for us to help him mend. I have to admit the first night bringing him home, I just wanted to cry seeing what happened to him and feeling responsible. All he wanted was to snuggle with us as he healed.

The incredible thing we can learn from our pets is they are so resilient. They take these things with stride while we humans stress over what it means to no longer have a part of our body or lack full capability- be it physical or mental. We instantly feel like we are less worthy, and we often treat others that way too. However, we may just be more lovable, like our pets. We may just need to know from others that we still matter. Junior healed completely, and went on to live a full and bouncy life until his kidneys finally gave out on him years later. Watching him suffer, lose weight, and making that decision to let him go was among the hardest things my daughter and I have ever had to go through. Through it we learned to set aside ourselves and our time to spend those final days being with him.

We had already lost a husband and a father. My daughter lost an aunt and an uncle. We had to give up other pets because of our living situations, thankfully to good homes. But death, whether it’s of a human family member that you love or a furry friend that you adore, is never fun for us. We had two other cats at the time and all they did was roam around looking for Junior. We had no way to explain to them where he was—he was gone and they would learn soon enough to carry on. Just like we learn in our loss. And yes, we still look around in our minds and hearts for those no longer with us.

When we brought home Rufus, a.k.a. Rukus, we knew there would be some challenges with him because his back legs didn’t work and they said he probably would never walk again. So we set out to make him comfortable and to feel as much like a loved dog as possible. The little Chiweenie soon put on weight and we found that he was a bouncy happy dog. He may have lost use of his legs, but he had not lost his desire to be outside or his desire to bark at other dogs and people. There were daily accidents because he couldn’t control his body, and we learned how to care for him in the way you care for an older family member whose body is failing them. I learned how to be encouraging to a little puppy who probably didn’t understand any of the words we were saying. I think of friends with Alzheimer’s or dementia who we visit, knowing that they will forget that we came, and knowing that they may not fully understand who we are and why we are there. But still we come to love on them to somehow hope that our few brief moments with them will bring them joy and bring us peace.

Rufus and his brother Olie out for a walk.

We worked with Rufus in the water moving his legs. We found out that he loved to chase after his Dino and play just like a regular dog. Eventually, we got him outside and discovered he still liked to do his business outside, if given the opportunity. And then one day he just stood up on his own and walked across the room. We were stunned. That’s how we discovered to never underestimate what God can do. Somehow, our love and encouragement had given him strength to stand up and little by little he did that. He never fully regained all his strength but we realized that when he could, qhe would stand and play and run around.

I think of people who have been injured maybe through a stroke or an accident and have lost use of their legs. How hard they have to work to come back from it. How much encouragement it takes from the people around them to spur them on. I think of the courage it takes to say, I’ll try again and again and again, hoping things get better. People look at Rufus in his wheels or as he bounces along on his back legs like a bunny, and think how sweet he is and how great it is that he is trying. And yet we can look at someone in a wheelchair almost with distain because their body has failed them. However, they are the same people that we are. They have worth and value that we can so easily disregard.

I am thankful for the advances we have made in adapting our culture to meet the needs of those with physical disabilities. How is it that we today can take care of our pets and ensure that they had the best care and the best advantage, but we have begun to roll back programs to help humans improve and have a better life. How is it that we have come to think that they are a drain on our system, when they have something to offer that is beyond our imagination.

We had a sweet little Cockerpoo, a cocker spaniel and poodle combo. Spencer had epilepsy, which meant seizures at unexpected times. Medication helped but wasn’t always affordable. And also meant lots of accidents. We learned how to help him stay calm during a seizure and how to help him recover from a seizure. We learned when they were serious enough to go to the doctor and when we could just help him through it. One of the sweetest things though was that our little cat Junior, the one who would eventually lose his eye, was the one that always came to soothe him. He would walk around him in circles when he had a seizure, and then when it was done, he would come lay beside him to comfort him.

Isn’t that what God wants us to do for each other? Come along side and just be there and bring comfort. We don’t always have to say anything, sometimes we can hold a hand and other times we just need to sit quietly until someone is ready to speak. Being present and bringing the spirit of the Divine with us is the best thing we can do for one another.

So if you have a pet at home, be at a dog, a cat, even a little guinea pig, I hope you will look at them as a gift. I hope we can learn as Humans to be responsible for loving and caring for them, and in that, learn to love and care for each other.

Make a space for those who need our love.

I hope you will learn from them how to love other humans in our lives. Everything in creation is connected. So when you see a human struggling, pray that you see them through the eyes of the Creator with love and compassion. When you see a friend in need, I pray you will let them know that you are there for them and with them. And I do hope if you don’t already have one of God‘s creations living in your home, other than a human, that you will look to a local shelter, Humane Society, or rescue organization to see who is waiting to rescue you.

Godspeed.

Tags cats, chihuahua, chiweenie, cockerpoo, disabilities, dog, eckhardt, humane society, pets, seizures

The Lighter Walk

Learning Love from our Four-legged Friends

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date June 7, 2026
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I swore I would never have another dog. I have been spoiled by too many sweet pets in the past. I used to say that the perfect dog would have to find me because I wasn’t going looking. I just couldn’t imagine any new animal finding a way into my heart again like the previous ones had.

And then along came Buddy.

All of my dogs have been rescues. Buddy was a special kind of rescue. He had been abandoned and stood barking on a dock, waiting for someone to hear him. We did, and when he jumped up into the car and onto my lap, I knew he was a keeper. We would find out later that this was the third time he had been abandoned, and so leaving him in the shelter was a tough thing to do. As I waited out the 10 days for him to be legally free to come home, I questioned whether I was making the right decision.

And then it became clear that God had indeed “dropped him in my lap” to love and care for him.

Bringing home a new dog with a history can be a little bit of a challenge. He is what we call a “reactive” dog. He’s a Chihuahua so that makes it even more complicated. I’ve come to understand that a reactive dog is kind of like a human who is anxious and may be suffering a little PTSD. The problem is our four-legged friends can’t really tell us what’s wrong and so unlike humans they bark and they growl and they jump around, hoping we will help them. At first it made me a little crazy, but now I understand that it’s his way of telling me: “Get me out of here- I don’t feel safe.” and it is my job to make sure he does feel safe.

Back from the groomer where he was an angel!

I’ve learned a lot about patience with him as we try different ways for him to be less reactive. He’s doing better now with other people—sometimes it’s just a slight “grrrr,” other times he loses his mind until I can snap him out of it or remove him from the situation. He’s helped me to recognize those signs in the humans around me too, and to be more patient and kind with them. Sometimes we humans need a safe space too!

The thing with Rescue Dogs is you never really know what their situation was before they came into our lives. They may have been hurt and not loved by their owners. They may have been neglected or ignored in their homes. They may have had someone who was unkind and intimidated and yelled at them. The same is true for humans. We never really know what’s going on in someone’s past until we take time get to know them. So we tend to judge based on what we think we are seeing without knowing the backstory. We become impatient and judgmental and dismissive of others while the model of Jesus calls us to be patient, understanding, and kind. We so easily forget when people don’t measure up to our “standards.”

The apostle Peter talked about kindness coming from the Lord and how we learned to be kind because of the way Jesus taught us. Jesus taught us to be patient, and to be humble around those who need our love the most. It isn’t always easy, especially when someone is reactive to a situation. But love them we must, because after all, we are loved and should be compelled to pass that love and care to others. I wonder what it would look like if we applied the same patience, kindness, and even forgiveness we show our pets to our humans?

So we added Buddy to the family of an unorthodox beagle, Olie, who is the opposite of Buddy. He was rescued from a farm where beagles were raised and mistreated. It took him a while too to trust us, and then to be able to trust others around him. In learning to trust us, he has learned to trust others. I think that’s what Jesus does right? We learned to trust God through him and then we learn to share that love and trust with others so that they can have that peace.

And then there is Rufus. We found Rufus in a shelter, emaciated and sad. His previous owner had accidentally closed the door on him and damaged his spine, so he wasn’t able to completely walk. It also meant he had a lot of accidents inside the house because he couldn’t go out or control his bladder. He was one unhappy little Chiweenie and also the most loving little fella- with a mighty bark! In Rufus we learned how to love and care for those in need. To forgive accidents or things beyond control. To be patient and kind as we care for those who can’t care for themselves. Now he is one happy puppy beginning the decline of old age. Love him we do.

There is a saying about rescues. We think we are rescuing them, when in fact they rescue us. I didn’t know I needed to have someone to come home to every night, who needed attention and who needed to get outside in God‘s creation. But God did. He knew I needed a buddy in my life as much as Buddy needed me. So here he is in his fourth home, and I hope his last. I’ve had so many fun little journeys already and I look forward to the years with him, and with Olie and Rufus, who live with their “other” parents now. Each day I learn a little bit more about myself because of them.

So if you think you need a little extra love in your life, I encourage you to seek out the Humane Society, a local shelter, or a dog or cat rescue organization. They will work to help you find just the right friend who needs you as much as you need them. I pray you will bring that joy into your home and increase your family’s love for one of God‘s little creations. I think what an honor it is to be able to look after one of God‘s creations. It’s just that simple.

Tags dog, God's plan, Jesus, kindness, love, pets, purpose, relationships, rescue

The Lighter Walk Transformation Stories

Out of the Shadows

Mystic and trappist monk Thomas Merton often wrote about the true self versus the false self. In simple terms, the false self is the humanistic side of our personality and spiritual nature. It is the superficial nature of our being that glides through life unengaged with the Divine Creator and a life of compassion. The true self moves us from the posture of separateness from others and toward seeing others as through “the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes.”

The false self leads us to follow our own ways of self preservation and people pleasing to fit it. The false self are the masks we wear when we refuse to consider another way or perspective in our thinking of self and others. It is the place where pride or position block us from acknowledging when our decisions harm another. It can be a shadowing life of self existence which is earth-bound and with little spiritual connection to God. It is a picking and choosing of scripture that we use as a means to justify our inaction/action rather than using scripture to form and reshape us.

The past few months, I have been discovering my true self all over again. I lean toward the mystic side of things, meaning I love spending time in prayer and listening for the Holy Spirit to speak. I love moments of solitude when the divine imagination takes me places that seem unworldly. While I love a good liturgical service, it has always been the prayer time, and that special period leading up to the breaking of the bread and the pouring of the wine when I feel most connected to God.

For many years I wasn’t able to attend services because of my job. Over a period of time, I even became too exhausted to rest with the Lord. I stopped feeding my soul, and my soul began to grow shallow and empty. I became a shadow of who I really am as I struggled to survive on my own strength.

Beyond the spiritual life, I also set aside my heart of compassion and standing up for people different from me, especially those living in need of help to survive in these difficult times. I connected with people at different groups, but because of the conservative church that I attended, I kept quiet and in the shadows. I quietly supported the LGBTQ+ community, but never let it be known, except to a few friends. I quietly supported families with children/grandchildren who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, who were also afraid of letting people know about their family. I watched the heartbreak and walked with them, in the shadows.

My heart ached for the immigrants and the way that they are being treated in our country today. I saw the hungry becoming more hungry in the economic upheaval in our country. I saw families who once had good government jobs shrink with embarrassment of their unemployment, and cried silently with them. But I did little more than pray and it grieves me as I reflect back on those times.

Mostly, I stayed silent out of fear of losing my own job, and losing connection with the people in my conservative community that I have come to love. I put me before God and before others and failed to serve in the ways I have been gifted. I left my true self out for self preservation. I went dark in my lead to support others as I waited on others to lead. And I waited too long to be a part of the solution and change.

I got it wrong.

We studied Matthew 9 recently, and I was overwhelmed with the stories of love and compassion that Jesus had for the most despicable of people in his time, and the weakest of people in the community. Not only did he sit with the despised tax collectors, he invited one to become a follower. He met “across the aisle“ with people whose views were quite different from his, and that wanted to destroy his ministry and life. He listened to them and asked them questions so he could understand them, and hopefully they would understand him. He brought healing to the blind, the leper, the shunned woman, and many who were discarded by society.

That’s the Jesus I want to follow. That’s the Jesus with whom I connect. That is the Jesus who changed the law, and said it was simple. Just love the Divine and love others as we would be loved.

It is such a simple and basic formula, one that doesn’t require legislation to bash and destroy people who are different from us. The current administration, and Christians who support it, are moving towards belittling any person of color, any person with a different “lifestyle”, or who has a different belief—Christian or otherwise. That isn’t what I would consider an America modeled after our Lord Jesus Christ, which many claim we need.

So I ask you, have you read Matthew 9? Have you read Matthew 25? Have you read the stories of Jesus and his love and compassion for the least among us? Have you sat with those words and asked “Lord what does that mean for me and my heart and life?”

I invite you to come out of the shadows and take a stand, just like Jesus did, for the weak, for the abused, for the different than us. Take a stand, even if it means you may no longer worship in a church where you are worshiping. Take a stand, even if it means people who are close to you will disagree. Come out of the shadows and find your true self, find the heart of Jesus that resides deep in your soul, and then act according to his commands.

References:

Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Doubleday: 1966), 140-142.

Adapted from Matthew Fox, A Way To God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey, p. 185.

The Lighter Walk

Living in the Presence of the Divine

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date May 19, 2026
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This past week we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus as told by John. Diana Butler Bass describes this season between the Ascension and Pentacost as “readings emphasize our oneness with God, creation, and each other.” I felt that in my spirit as I reflected on the reading from John 17.

“So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.”

Resting in the presence of your glorious being this day, we bask in the revelation of you the Creator; flesh in this world and Holy Spirit in our minds and bodies today. Surrounded by the angels and souls of your making, millions upon millions gaze upon your splendor.

You are the center of the heart of our life. You are everything. Soul of our soul. Created in your image we bear fruits of your spirit. Here among the created world, we live to share who you are, to love others in your way, and to be still with you.

Grant us peace this day in this world of chaos. Shine upon us. We see the radiation of your love and our heart is changed.

May the intolerant become tolerant. May the heartless have heart to love and care for others. May the strong be made weak in your sight and in your presence our lives be made wholly reliant upon your guidance.

Lead us as we follow you, the Divine, the magnificent, our all and all. In you and with you we find rest and peace this day and pray we reflect the image of your presence in us.

Tags Ascension, Holy Spirit, image of God, Jesus, John 17, light, lighter walk, love

Living Loving Serving The Lighter Walk

Fanning the Flames of Hope and Love in the Darkness

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date January 9, 2026
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I met with a small group of action-minded, concerned people recently. I listened as we went around the room and each shared their sadness, and their anger, over what’s been happening in our nation since the beginning of the new year. As each spoke about our shared grief over military violence in other countries, and in our own streets here in America, each had an undercurrent of hope and love.

That’s what faith does to us. Faith doesn’t say ignore the wrongs in the world. Faith is praying and seeking the face of God, and then acting according to his will. Faith says we have hope in a higher power to shine the light into the darkness we live. Faith says “Here I am Lord,” and means it.

I was also reminded that action in the dark times means different things to different people. Just as each of us who follow Jesus are given different gifts to share and to serve one another as a way to bring the love of Jesus to the world; each of us may be called into action in different ways in this dark time of our nation.

Start on your knees, or whatever your prayer posture is. Soak in the love of Jesus. Sit in the deep love of the Creator. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you with wisdom and knowledge about what you are to do next. Are you called to be the prayer warrior? Are you called to be the protester on the street? Are you called to be a human barrier protecting the disadvantaged? Are you called to bring food to those afraid to leave their homes? Are you called to clap back against racism and negative comments about fellow citizens?

Answer the call.

Jesus spoke clearly about how God views the way we treat our fellow humans: “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭45‬ ‭NRSVUE‬‬

Th‬‬e same as true in what we do to one another. Are we looking for the face of God in every person? If we are to truly believe that each person is made in the image of God and loved by that same God, who are we to degrade them? Who are we to treat them as less than human? Who are we to disobey the Word of the Lord? And who are we if we fail to love and care for them and to protect them as we would want to be loved and protected? Are we showing the face of a loving God to them?

It breaks our heart when we see professing Christian treat each other in such inhumane ways. It tears us apart when we see a history of violence against one type of person, or one type of religion, that isn’t like ours. It overwhelms us to think that we are on the brink of repeating the cruelty of power-hungry violet leaders in our recent past. We weep for one another and with each other.

And in our weeping, we still have hope. In our weeping, we come to the Lord, confessing our own inadequacies and ungodly thoughts. We come to the Lord seeking forgiveness and restoration. We come to the Lord seeking love and compassion. We fill up all the cracks in our heart with love and compassion, and then we move forward with that same compassion.

Take the light into darkness today. Keep the light of hope lit. Be that light for someone today.

Tags Chrisitan behavior, darkness and light, faith, God's will, Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, lighter walk, love like jesus, psalm, purpose, social injustice

Living Loving Serving The Lighter Walk

Epiphany: When Light Breaks Through in Love and Hope

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date January 6, 2026
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Today is January 6 – the traditional date when Christians celebrate the Feast of Epiphany. There are many traditions and interpretations surrounding this day on the Christian calendar. Epiphany is seen as a holy day of remembrance of the Wise Men’s visit to Jesus, often commemorated by attending church services. Many celebrate it as the last day of the 12 days of Christmas with a Christmas-like celebration of gift giving—similar to the gifts given by the Magi. For some it just signals the date to start taking down Christmas decorations.

Unfortunately, January 6 also has a new meaning in American history. It was a day of violence in our capitol. It was a day of turmoil. It was a sad day in American history. A day that should represent love and hope will forever be remembered in tandem with a day of hatred and violence.

We have a choice today. We who follow Jesus can spend our time rehashing that day, and what it meant for our political system. We can use today as a flashpoint for more anger; whether we believe the actions were righteous of whether we believe the actions were those of insurgents. We can spend our time wrapped in darkness or we can look upward to the light in love for that which is Jesus.

Epiphany is an invitation to encounter the illumination of God in our lives. The path of the wisemen led them to the Christ. It led them to the leader of love and peace. This too can be our path today.

In his Epiphany sermon this past Sunday, Rev. Bill Haley spoke about the darkness in which Jesus was born. A world of hate spread by their leader, Herod. It was into this world that God chose to send a bright light: The true light was coming into the world.”(Jn 1.9). Bill reminded us that “There is Epiphany’s second invitation. The first one is See It. The second one is Be It. Be a child of light.”

This past Sunday, Pastor Gina Anderson-Cloud said because of Jesus, we can “make a difference in our world.“ How can we be the light in the darkness today? How can we follow that light above and help illuminate the world with the love of Jesus? How can we bring hope to the hopeless?

I found recently that as I look deeper into the scriptures and revel in the way in which God loved us so much that he first created us in his image, and when we failed, he sent his son in our image to demonstrate love we could relate to in human form. Jesus came not just to forgive our sins and bring salvation for our souls, he came to model how to love like the God in whose image we are created.

I encourage you to find a community where they are all about the love of Jesus in action. Find a place where you feel the hope of the Holy Spirit to transform lives and to bring the wholeness of a God whose immeasurable love lights the way. Find a place where you can love and serve others and bring the light to them. Be God’s light and gift to others this Epiphany. Allow God’s love to shine through you that lives may be transformed and set free to love others.

“I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Tags community, Epiphany, Holy Spirit, hope, image of God, january 6, Jesus, light, love, path, serving others

The Lighter Walk

Returning to Hope this Year

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date January 1, 2026
1 Comment on Returning to Hope this Year

Reading the lectionary for this past Sunday I kept returning to the words in John 1:

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Such a gift of hope we have been given.

I know many of my friends feel as if they have been walking in darkness the past year. It has been a troubling year for many reasons. Some political. Some personal. Some beyond our control and some of our own making.

Darkness can feel so overwhelming. For some it is blanketed in a shame that you can’t seem to see beyond current circumstances. In the darkness, it can be difficult to find hope. And yet it is hope that brings us out of the darkness. It is hope that shines a light on our circumstances and gives us the strength to take that next step forward.

I am obsessed with the sunrise. There is something so incredibly life-giving to me to watch the sun rise as it pushes out the darkness out of the night. Some mornings, the skies are bright and colorful, other days the sun can barely break through the cloud of haze. And yet each morning I get up in time to see that sunrise. Mornings when I sleep in and miss it, I feel like I have missed the best part of my day. It is as if I have missed the renewal of life.

Equally so, sunset with its bright colors reminds me that as we go into the dark of the night, God is still present with us. The slow setting of the sun helps us let go of the day. Maybe that day was full of joy, or maybe that day was full of despair. Maybe we feel we did all the good things that day and maybe we feel the weight of the ways in which we wish we had acted better. And so in the sunset, I find myself letting it go and asking God to forgive me as we walk into the dark of the night, together.

Stepping into the new year, I want to focus on the light that shines even in the midst of darkness. I want to focus on hope and how to bring that hope to others. I don’t want to lose sight of trusting in God. I don’t want to forget to breathe in the Holy Spirit and let her guide me. I don’t want to forget the love that Jesus showed us and commanded us to give to one another. I want to focus on those things instead of the darkness.

We have the power to bring darkness or light into our world through our beliefs and actions. We can either tear down someone or lift them up. We can see only disagreement or we can find common ground. We can wallow in despair over current events or we can take steps to change things for the better. We can bring the light of Jesus’ love…or disregard his purpose for coming to earth as a person to teach us love and goodness and give all hope.

So I encourage you in this new year to have a new season of light. Find people who are seeking to bring light into the darkness and partner with them. Find a program that inspires you and brings you joy, and then share that joy with others. Let the light of the Lord be the light that others see as you let go of the darkness. It isn’t going anywhere, unless you bring light into it. We can sit in despair and darkness and moaning; or we can move towards the light and hope that Jesus brought to us. Let that not go to waste in our day. Let us choose light for ourselves and others.

Tags 2026, faith, hope, kindness, light, lighter walk, love, prayer, purpose

friendship The Lighter Walk

The Value of Friendship

There was a time in my life that I thought I would never have girlfriends. My childhood abuse twisted my thinking and I had mostly guy “friends.” I just didn’t know how to be friends with a woman.

Thanks to years of therapy and some incredible women who helped me heal from the trauma in my life- that all turned around in my late 40s. It was partly tied to being a mom and meeting other moms. But mostly, it was a change in my needs from needing a man to notice me, to having someone I could have an authentic life-sharing relationship with.

I have four life-long friends. We live in scattered parts of America and don’t have the day-to-day relationship we wish we did. I’m so thankful we were childhood friends. It reminds me that God places people in our lives when we need them, and boy did we need each other growing up! We trusted each other as teenagers do, with most of our inner secrets.

When I had my daughter, and took some time to deal with the childhood wounds, I had one friend who stood by me through all my emotional ups and downs. Who knew when we met as school-moms that we would be blessed to become such true friends. I met another sweet woman when my husband was in a major accident, who thought me to lean on a woman and trust them to walk with me. I also had the gift of a sister who protected me when I was young, and still walks through all the good, and not so good, moments of my life. It is a gift to share their moments with them and to navigate the waters of life together.

I have come to value and appreciate girlfriends in a way I never knew would be possible. Sadly, I have also found that women and friendships can fade away or be torn apart with no apparent reason. And I have found that when a friendship suddenly ends, it is as painful, if not more, as a broken love relationship. For me, I’m left questioning everything I did over our years of journeying together, trying to find that one moment where things broke down in hopes I can repair and restore our relationship.

I believe we each carry some bit of wounding from our past. When that wounding isn’t healed (and sometimes even when it is) and something subconsciously reminds us of it, we tend to flee to avoid further pain. We may fire up and fight against the perceived infliction of further injury- or we just shut down, unable to process or articulate what has occurred. I know that has been true for me.

Sadly, those reactions usually end a relationship over what could be a misspoken word, an unintentional action, or lack of knowledge of one’s sensitivity. We as women can far too quickly internalize an offense and turn on one another, destroying a valuable relationship.

Why are we willing to shatter something that is such a gift to have? Why would we so easily give away a deep sense of being known by another person? Why would we not trust each other with this kind of personal wounding when we have already shared so much? What makes us stop short when we need to say: “What you said/did hurt me.”

I sit today grieving over another broken relationship that I don’t know how to mend. It isn’t the first time I have had to question myself and my behavior, searching to understand my error. I wish I could restore the friendships that faded away or abruptly ended; however, I know that may never happen. That adds to my sorrow.

I hope I can learn from this. I hope I can let God heal my new wound. I pray he would intervene and bring restoration in our broken friendships. I pray for each of us, that we would see each new handshake and introduction as an opportunity to build a new friendship. I know we are made to be in relationship and I won’t give that up. I am willing to take the risk again. I hope you too will find resolution in broken relationships and either rebuild them or learn and move forward into the next one.

Today, I am thankful for all the relationships I have had. I am grateful for the times we shared, even if they ended. And I appreciate the new relationships God continues to lead me toward and hopeful that they can become good lasting friendships too.

Tags change, forgiveness, friendship, relationship, relationships, women

The Lighter Walk

Beginning with Peace

We get to chose how we live our lives. As peace-givers or hate-makers. Do we strive to bring “Shalom” in our interactions with others? Or are we ready to battle for our own opinions- no matter the hurt they may cause?

The Bible Project defines the “Hebrew word for peace is shalom, and it describes a deep sense of well-being that comes through the presence of completion, reconciliation, and justice.” Three ways in which we can bring a sense of completeness to our relationship, rather than cracks and brokenness. Sometimes it means we must take steps to restore the brokenness.

Peace then requires us to set aside ourselves and to listen to others. It involves a willingness to bridge the divide and create a new wholeness in the relationship. And that is hard…on our own. Jesus came to teach and bring restoration to a broken world. He came first to restore our relationship with God the father, and he left the Holy Spirit to guide us in the restoration of other broken relationships.

I realize I can’t be a peace-maker if I am not feeding my heart and soul with the good words of my faith. I can’t begin to step into a broken world without praying and coming into agreement with the Lord that Shalom matters. I can’t do it without inviting the Holy Spirit to speak to me. I have to be willing to invest in my spiritual growth if I ever want to get to a place of wholeness for myself and in relationships with others.

Tags advent, faith, Holy Spirit, Jesus, morning prayer, peace, personal development, pray, prayer room, shalom

The Lighter Walk Transformation Stories

Making God the Main Thing

Post author By Maggie Marcum
Post date August 19, 2020
No Comments on Making God the Main Thing

My life today is nothing compared to what it was even five years ago, let alone 30 years ago when I began my Christian journey. God planted a seed of change; however, it took almost 20 years to stop living according to my rules and listen to his desires for me.