It’s so easy to hold back in our prayers. It’s tempting to ask for the mundane or expected, to ask for the things that seem guaranteed. But we are not told to pray timidly or half-heartedly. Hebrews tells us to approach the throne of grace with confidence, with boldness.

The more I consider it, the more I believe the increasing tension I’ve felt, and noticed in many others, comes from years of using technology for something other than its intended purpose or trying to accomplish something in a less-than-optimal way.

After years of doing, it’s the being that I’m finally learning to focus on.

My version of a simple life will look different than yours. My version of a simple life includes 400+ books contrasted with a wardrobe small enough to fit almost entirely in a carry-on suitcase. Yours might include 30 pairs of shoes and nary a book to be seen. One is not better than the other, because what simple looks like to me is different than what simple looks like to you.

As someone who’s dealt with anxiety for nearly a decade, I wish people in the Church had a better understanding of it because they often view it incorrectly and cause harm as a result.