I’ve noticed that I have a deeply rooted fear of healing. Do you? Image by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash I’ve noticed that I have a deeply rooted fear of healing. The fear that comes with knowing all the walls you built, brick by brick, to protect yourself must come down. The fear of feeling each emotion, opening the door to slowly release the habits and mechanisms that numbed you to the pain. The fear of hoping for all things positive and good to take their place, only to be dis

When your life falls apart, your first instinct is to fight. Fight to keep up. Fight to put everything back together. Fight to survive. Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash One day, you are fighting to breathe. And the next, in the blink of an eye, you are numb. Numb to the pain. Numb to the surroundings. But deeply aware of the dark shadows closing in. Suddenly, the TV show no longer brings you joy. You force yourself to eat to quiet the rumbling. One cookie will do. The slow ta

“ I’ve heard the song of sirens in violent seas / Now lead me by still waters and quiet streams / It’s been far too long / Oh Spirit, be...

Written reflections in the aftermath of a painful and quiet season. As the personal grief of the last year begins to settle, I’ve...

Before you is a face. A face in a moment of jubilee. In a moment of rejoicing. But you have yet to see what lies beyond the moment....

The real story of sunflowers extends beyond the sunshine they exude. I don't know if you have ever seen how sunflowers glow. Their bright...

What feels like death will not overcome you, and you are not alone. The truth is, I have been far from my best this semester and year....

Have you ever waited for peace - for healing? Healing can be a long time coming. It often feels like something elusive, something you...

Thank you. My eyes are wide open, still seeing. My vocal cords still vibrating, my voice still singing. My lungs still rising, my heart...

Why is it that we need others to validate our beauty? What about our culture makes us feel like in order to feel beautiful someone has to...

Sometimes, our most unexpected and unplanned moments are the most beautiful ones. Let that settle. I am a planner at heart. And I also...

I’m sure you are familiar with hills - or you’ve at least heard of them, maybe seen pictures of them. Do me a favor and picture them, see...

We’re made for more than this. We’re made for more than comparison, for more than sleepless nights, constant studying, and feelings of...

Friend, if you are human, you know that relationships hurt. Even the potential for a relationship hurts. That uncertain space where you...

Recently, I’ve been coming to terms with just how complicated and messy life can be. As a result, I’ve come face to face with just how...

Things never, ever, go according to plan. *Written earlier this week. As I write this, I am sitting in my room awaiting the results of my...

Step away, darling. Take a step back and forget the little things that seem like monsters. The tests, the exams, the never-ending...

It's been far too long. I've missed this space. If there is anything I have learned this summer, it's that making time for the things and...

There are some questions we rarely ask each other. This is one of them. Are you ok? Has the world made you cry or rejoice today? Either...

It’s so easy to long for love, to look for it in human hearts and relationships, and to leave wanting. It’s so easy to anticipate full...

What do you do when life screams that you are inadequate? When the person you so desperately want to take notice of you doesn’t so much...

Sometimes, I wish loving weren’t so painful That giving wasn’t so exhausting That just living and being wasn’t so complicated. But what...

Recently I had a stressful day. You are probably saying “Welll that’s me every day!” I feel you, dear friend. Life is hard. This day was...

Have you ever been caught? Maybe it’s between two worldviews, two ideologies. You have what you’ve been told from birth, the things that...

Hi dear reader, Today, I have a question. Where is your voice? In a world where it feels like the little we have to say drowns in an...

Have you ever felt like a nuisance? You're trying to reach out to someone and you feel like maybe you shouldn't, because why would they...

I believe the first step to living joyfully is fully loving the person that you are most familiar with on this planet. You know, that...

Let’s talk about love. No, I’m not talking valentines and significant others - let’s define love as we will be talking about it on Joy...

We’ve asked why joy. And we’ve defined joy in light of the journey we are taking here on Joy Untainted. Now, let’s get practical. I love...

Joy. Life isn’t always comfortable. In fact, life can take cruel turns that leave us asking whether true joy even exists. This entire...

Ok, so you may be asking - why write about joy? And to be honest, I asked myself the same thing. There are a number of things I could...