In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks about our freedom in Christ and, more specifically in chapter 8, our freedom we have pertaining to food. For years I felt inadequate because I thought I was not bringing ‘good’ food to the table. I was angry because I kept comparing my eating style and grocery budget to others’. I felt judged and frowned upon because of the foods we could afford and the diet to which we were limited.

Yet, as I read Scripture, I have been reminded that I must do the best I can with what I have. I am told to praise God in everything, give thanks in everything. Ergo, I am told to praise Him for allowing us to have a food budget, even when it’s not as high as I would like it to be.

The questions I have had to ask myself during times of leanness is, ‘Do I have faith that God will bless the food we’ve asked Him to bless? Do I have trust that He will be able to keep us healthy on this budget and with these foods?’

Scripture reminds us that we have freedom to no longer be bound by diet and, for someone who has had to live on a rather small grocery budget, that is another thing for which I can praise Him.

In Proverbs 17:17, we are told that “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

It is extremely difficult to be a friend who loves a friend in all the seasons of a person’s life. The more I study Scripture, though, the more I learn how to be that friend. I’ve learned that loving my friend means crying with my friend, praying with my friend, laughing with my friend, and grieving with my friend.

I have also learned that loving my friend means I must take the time to truly listen to my friend rather than freely offer my opinion; sometimes, I’ve found, it’s better to not give an opinion at all. Probably the most difficult lesson, however, is that loving my friend means forgiving my friend when their words are sharper than usual or when their mood is sour, and I’m at the receiving end of that sourness. Although not excusing rude behaviour, I have learned to remind myself that sometimes people have ‘off’ days because (and this will come as a shock to some) we are human.

Below are some ways I have appreciated someone being a friend to me, and some ways I try to be a friend.

Listening – Being someone who will listen, rather than constantly giving advice, is rare. I appreciate these friends more than they know.

Praying – Praying for a friend is one of the most loving things to do. Hearing a friend entreat the Lord on my behalf is something I covet.

Sitting – Sometimes all I need is for someone to sit with me. Companionable silence is so rare these days that when I find someone willing to do this with me it is time I treasure.

A few years ago, I had no idea there was such a prodigious industry in strategy games. Three forerunners in this industry are Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Dominion. Below are some of my favourite strategy games. (There are more difficult ones, but I usually don’t play those because I don’t like my brain to hurt.)

Easy to learn strategy games:

Patchwork – This is a quick game that plays 2 people who are each trying to make a quilt from differently shaped blocks.

Gingerbread House – This game, usually around an hour, plays up to 4 people who are all trying to build their own gingerbread house from tiles placed on a board.

Second Chance – This fast-paced game plays up to 6 people who are simultaneously trying to fill in their individual grids by drawing shapes that appear on cards.

Medium investment strategy games:

Azul – This visually appealing game, taking about an hour, plays up to 4 people who are trying to fill in their boards with tiles to earn points.

Caverna: The Cave Farmers – This game plays up to 7 people who are farmers trying to stay alive. Keep in mind with this game that the more players there are, the longer it takes (seriously – it can end up being a long game).

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle – This game plays up to 4 people who are students trying to stop the Death Eaters from winning. Play time varies depending on what game options you pick, and ranges from, “Wow! What a wonderfully thematic game!” to, “ARE YOU KIDDING?!”

Moving is always difficult. I think the worst part of moving is leaving behind those you have come to love, or being left behind by those you love. Saying ‘goodbye’ is typically riddled with tears (even if they never make themselves seen).

I really don’t like saying ‘goodbye’ to people. I have, however, found that the goodbye hurts less when I’ve spent large chunks of time invested in the relationships. That seems rather counterintuitive, doesn’t it?

I’ve moved quite a bit in my life and have become extremely adept at pulling away from people, either consciously or subconsciously, before I move. Some years ago, though, I decided to throw myself into my relationships, despite knowing I was only going to be with those people for a short period of time. Amazingly, it was so much easier to bid them farewell once it came time for me to leave than a goodbye had ever been.

Here’s my theory: I had no regrets. I didn’t regret being available to them. I didn’t regret the laughs we shared. I didn’t regret the prayers we prayed for each other.

It is my tendency to assume that my relationships will remain steady after a move or after I say ‘goodbye’. Sometimes this is true and my friends and I can pick up right where we left off, but more often than not the relationships change because I change and those I love change. Do you know what I’ve found?

Even amidst changes, moves, and goodbyes, my spirit can remain steady if my foundation is solid. When my heart and mind are saturated with the Word of God, rather than with my anxieties and emotions, change is not as difficult. A move, though stressful, is less stressful. Saying ‘goodbye’, though extremely difficult, is less difficult.

In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells the parable of the two builders. One man built his house on the sand and one man built his house on the rock. When the rains came, the house on the sand fell, but the one on the rock remained.

What is similar for both houses? Both were pelted with rain, but the one whose foundation was secure was able to weather the storm. That’s not to say there may or may not have been damage to the house that remained (storms typically bring with them some damage!); however, the house still stood.

So even though changes in relationships may hurt, goodbyes, both temporary and permanent, may be difficult, and moving may be stressful, if my spirit is set firm upon the Rock of my salvation they are easier to weather.

The parable mentioned can be found in the Bible in Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49.

I always feel reinvigorated during November to be creative, and writing is a wonderful creative outlet for me:

I can write a story I want to read.

I can journal what God is saying through Scripture.

I can cry out to the Lord through poetry.

I can sort through what He is teaching me.

Yet, there have been seasons – long, long seasons – when I have wondered if I would ever be able to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, and write again. The creative well was dry. The well-oiled machine that is my imagination had come to a jarring halt.

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Then suddenly, or perhaps not so suddenly, ideas began to take shape again, the cogs in my mind started to move, and words formed into sentences.

One of the ways I have worked to combat the dry spells was to simply write. I didn’t care if it sounded good or bad or if it made sense – I just needed keep the habit of writing.

Below are some other ways I have applied grease to the cogs of my mind so the writing gears turn once more:

Listen to a movie score or a classical piece and let the music speak to my soul.

Read. Read about things that interest me, things that spark my imagination.

Take a walk outside and observe what nature is doing.

I have a love/hate relationship with social media.

I like connecting or reconnecting with friends and family, but sometimes it’s too easy for me to compare my life to another’s.

I like following authors, bloggers, pocasters, and vloggers, but sometimes there are so many updates I end up spending hours catching up with people I’ve never met instead of sitting with a friend or spending time in prayer for someone.

I like writing book reviews (and I like to blog!), but sometimes I worry too much about the opinions of those I don’t know.

I like seeing others’ ideas for baking, cooking, decorating, and sewing, but sometimes it’s too easy for me to become discouraged.

The following Bible verses have been ones I try to remember when I think about social media:

Colossians 3:2-3

Philippians 4:4-9

Psalm 46:10