hen is Wati’s last day?” I asked my husband, frustrated. I knew that Wati, the domestic helper my husband had hired in January last year, would not be leaving anytime soon, but I wanted my husband to know that I was annoyed with him for hiring her without my consent. There were a few reasons …
Editor’s note: Divorce is never what God wants, but it does happen, even in Christian marriages. What is written here is meant to focus only on the importance of extending compassion and love to someone who is grieving. Genevieve’s voice poured through the phone to me. She’s going through court proceedings following a horrific divorce. …
he Bible is full of examples of generosity. The Apostle Paul, for example, relied on his community to finance his mission (Philippians 4:14-17). Acts 2:45 also shows us a beautiful picture of the early disciples selling their property and possessions “to give to anyone who had need”. There’s also the story of the widow who gave up …
When I first found out that my thirdborn was a girl, a real part of me was afraid. In my then-testosterone-dominated household, pint-sized males regularly calculated the highest step they could jump from without a trip to the ER. They sprinkled around the sides of the toilet. Children’s books taught me terminology for construction equipment …
Society generally tends to be leery of friendships between members of the opposite sex. Famously, the movie When Harry Met Sally made the point that such friendships are impossible without one or both parties eventually falling in love with each other. Meanwhile, the church, as I know it, often reads too deeply into interactions between guys and …
y friends once lamented to me how hard it was to form new friendships once we hit a certain age. I was visiting them in the United Kingdom in 2016, where they had moved for new opportunities. While they had settled in fine, making friends was something of an issue. One friend had resorted to …
WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT FRIENDSHIPS FROM CHURCH Read More »
t has been more than eight months since that night my friend and I had “the talk”. In a romantic context, having “the talk” is an ominous sign. But in our case—as friends—I had hoped that it would conclude with tearful apologies and hugs. Unfortunately, it only led to more misunderstanding and terse accusations, followed …
Some months ago, I noticed that an acquaintance had become distant and cold towards me. When I asked about it, the person told me that it was because I had overreacted about something during our last exchange. I understood their perspective and apologised, but it became clear that a point of no return had been …
WHAT MY ASSUMPTIONS TAUGHT ME ABOUT JUDGING OTHERS Read More »
It was after lunch. We were standing on the curb, about to walk to our cars, when my friend divulged some hard stuff, stuff that could easily be embarrassing outside of the little table we had just shared. I was about to leave when it occurred to me what she might be feeling in that …
BECOMING A SAFE PLACE: HOW TO BE A FRIEND WHO HELPS Read More »
Back when we were in secondary school, I had invited Ava, my best friend of nine years, to church. Ava accepted Christ into her life and began attending weekly cell group meetings and services on a regular basis. I was elated that my dear friend had come to experience God’s love, and thrilled at the …
