Big dreams sometimes come in the darkest of winters. As a young girl, I could often be found on these dark nights watching the images of the beautiful ice skaters move across the television. I sat spellbound as their glittering costumes, and the graceful, rhythmic movements stole my heart. At the tender age of 7,…
Category: Laura Sumpter
An Expectant Heart
Recently, on the drive to school, my boys were snuggled into their seats with blankets and heavy coats. Overnight the fall air had descended and turned the warmer temperatures into promises of apple cider and pumpkins. As we drive the curves to our little school in the middle of cornfields, we have a routine. …
The Light He Shows Me
In the middle of a quiet night, a tired mama reaches for her crying baby. She rests her weary body into the rocker and slowly begins the rhythmic routine of feeding, burping, and rocking. Her steady breathing and silent prayers produce a calm over this treasured bundle. Her fatigue fights to win as she soothes…
Mileposts Worth Measuring
But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 Sixteen times I have stood in the doorway of an empty room and looked back. Sixteen times I have uttered a deep sigh and whispered a heartfelt prayer. Sixteen times I have taken a step toward…
A Definition of Trust
Did you ever play the game “Trust”? The “victim” stands facing away from a group of people and is to freefall into the arms of the “trusted” and be caught. A popular game in my high school youth group, but I never could muster the courage to fall. When I attempted this game, I would…
Clouds of Hope
As a child, I lived in a small coastal town where the summer days took on rhythms. Typically, the summer days would start out gray, cold, and with fog enveloping the small town in its soft, airy fleece. By 10 am the blue skies broke through the clouds and gave way to sunny days and…
Change is not the End
C.S. Lewis once said, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” The first time I read this quote, I was in the middle of a huge life transition. Just recently I came across this quote again, and yes, I am standing on the brink of another major change. Doesn’t it…
4 Things Helping Me to Wait Well
“One, two, three! Blow!” Her little lips pursed as she blew with all her might. The small hand grasped the slender green stem. The sweet air from her breath brushed my cheek. We watched in delight as the dandelion fluff caught the wind and slowly sailed away. Some pieces flew up into the blue sky, seeming to wave…
A Different Call
“What do I know to be true about God?” This was the question that continually ran through my mind as I walked through my garden. The spring sunshine was beating down on the damp earth and there were glimpses of green shoots reaching for the blue canopy above. Daffodils were blooming and birds were flitting…
A Quiet Submission
The words dropped like a glass vase shattering across the floor. All I could hear was the deafening tick-tock of the clock and the distant voices down the hallway. It had been a long, grueling, five months, and I was depleted of decisions and emotion. Every day I prayed for wisdom, clarity, and answers. Initial…
Anchored Voices 