Page 91 – Guideposts Articles

Our Dream Chat with Dr. Judith Orloff

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Brett Leveridge

Mysterious Ways Magazine hosted its first Facebook chat in February. We asked our readers to submit their dreams for analysis by Dr. Judith Orloff. She is the author of Emotional Freedom and Second Sight and an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA. She’s an advocate for the idea that links exist between our dreams and our physical, emotional and spiritual health.

If you weren’t able to catch the Dream Chat, we’ve compiled a transcript for you. Check out the intriguing dreams and Dr. Orloff’s fascinating interpretations.

Walking with Jesus L&E evergreen_in article ad

Mysterious Ways: Welcome, Dr. Judith Orloff! Are you ready to help our readers understand their dreams?

Dr. Judith Orloff: I’m here and ready for your dreams!

A Visit from Mary of Guadalupe

Mysterious Ways: This dream comes from reader Gladys: “I had this dream two years ago when I was still recovering from Stage 3 breast cancer and undergoing treatment. I was at the beach and this woman appeared to me out of nowhere. She was dressed in a traditional Spanish outfit, right by the water. She just stood there right in front of me and looked at me. The dream was so beautiful. When I woke up, I felt at peace. I kind of dismissed the dream. But later I was going through a book about saints and saw the woman of my dreams again—Mary of Guadalupe!”

Dr. Judith Orloff: A beautiful dream of a saint/angel visiting signifies healing and affirmation that you’re on the right track. People who are going through treatment are sometimes blessed with dreams like this.

Maria Montoya Crosby: I was just about to write about my dream. I’m a breast cancer survivor and had a dream with a blessed Mother. Felt so real and I too woke up with such peace.

* * *

Exposed at School

Mysterious Ways: This dream comes from reader Veda: “My dreams seem to always involve being at school and I’m lost or I end up in the restroom exposed.”

Dr. Judith Orloff: A collective dream that many people have is being naked in front of a crowd exposed. This dream says that you felt exposed and uncomfortable at school. The dream is asking you to reevaluate the school experience to heal any areas of shame that are still festering. Also the dream is asking you to learn to set clear boundaries with how much you expose yourself to others. You must be comfortable with whatever you reveal and not expose too much where you feel uncomfortable.

Carol BC Honkanen: This is a recurring dream from my childhood as well. But I was EXTREMELY comfortable at school. I was the safest there. Home life was the place of being exposed and uncomfortable. I kinda think the school is irrelevant, but being exposed is the key.

* * *

Surviving Disasters

Tanessa Noll: I have a recurring dream where the world appears to be ending. Earthquakes, tidal waves, terrorists, etc. threaten humanity. I have the choice to surrender or run. I have done both. Usually, I survive, but the aftermath is full of chaos, confusion and having to start over. There are brief moments of peace and tenderness in these dreams.

Dr. Judith Orloff: The dream is telling you to reach for the moments of peace and tenderness in your life. You have gone through a lot of terrorism and threats in your own upbringing. That is what the dream is telling you—and you have survived and are courageous. Time to open your heart to those who can truly love and support you and avoid the chaotic energy vampires I discuss in Emotional Freedom.

Tanessa Noll: I often help friends and family interpret dreams but have trouble at times understanding my own. This one has stumped me for years. You are spot on and so insightful. Thank you! I’m getting this book ASAP smile emoticon

Mysterious Ways: Tanessa Noll, so glad the Dream Chat helped!

* * *

A Mystical Journey

Mysterious Ways: A dream sent in by Beth: “Every once in a while, I wake up in the morning, with a deep sense of knowing, that sometime in the middle of sleeping, I went somewhere mystical. I cannot remember the dream, but I know someone was there showing me something as if I was in a parallel universe. I feel so strongly about these dreams. I just know for sure that I’ve traveled somewhere. Is this a common phenomenon? I also feel more connected to my deeper intuition after this happens. Like I’ve become wiser in some way, but cannot describe any information I received whatsoever.”

Dr. Judith Orloff: In Second Sight, I talk about dreams as a place of higher knowledge. It sounds like you are being blessed with guidance in your dreams. Be sure to write it all down and follow it! It is common to find guidance in dreams, but yours sounds definitely like it coming from a deep spiritual place. Congratulations!

* * *

Hidden Rooms

Mysterious Ways: Reader Terri says, “I often dream of finding hidden rooms in homes that I live in. They are very vivid dreams and exciting but confusing. What could this mean?”

Dr. Judith Orloff: Hidden rooms in your psyche are calling out to be explored. What aspects could you benefit looking at? This dream is a call for introspection and exploration of new parts of yourself. A call for expansion!

Tanessa Noll: I have similar dreams. I often wonder how to best tap into those hidden parts.

* * *

Visits from Deceased Loved Ones

Mysterious Ways: Here’s a dream from reader Louise: “My aunt went to heaven at age 92 and my uncle has been in heaven +/- 10 years. There’s a family gathering and my aunt gets my uncle from the coffin and brings him to the family party. We r aware he’s back to life but has to be brought back to the coffin by midnight because he will start to decay. Gross, I know, but what is the meaning of all that and why would I dream something like that?”

Dr. Judith Orloff: Your relatives are telling you about the amazing energy in heaven and that it is something to celebrate. The dead can’t usually visit for too long as they have to get back. I think that is what the image of decay means. Sometimes when the dead come to visit, it portends a death on this side so keep your eyes open. Very beautiful dream

* * *

A Mother’s Reassurance

Mysterious Ways: This dream comes to us from reader Anne: “My husband recently moved out after close to 15 years of marriage. Tuesday night before Valentine’s Day, I was awakened from sleep and saw my mother at the end of my bed. She looked happy and healthy, unlike her condition when she passed. I jumped out of bed and hugged her. I don’t remember if she said anything, all I remember is her smile. Also, later that night, I dreamed that my husband told me that he still wasn’t sure yet as to what direction he was headed regarding our marriage but was still thinking.”

Dr. Judith Orloff: The dream is saying that your mother is close to you and is your angel. Often times the deceased come to you in dreams looking happy and healthy because all their suffering is lifted. In terms of your husband rethinking your relationship—most important YOU need to rethink it and see if it is right for YOU.

Tanessa Noll: I have deceased loved ones visit me in dreams. It’s so comforting.

* * *

Living in a Large House

Mysterious Ways: This dream was submitted by reader Dana: “The ‘big house’ dreams are just that – huge houses that go on and on. I always own at least part of the house, usually all of it. Most of the time, friends and family live there, too. They have separate but often interconnected apartments. Once there was a very big lobby with elevators; once there was an attic that was cluttered, but with antiques and other treasures. Once there was a walkway that went around the outside of the second floor, with doors that opened into various large rooms with different purposes, all of which looked out over the first floor. One of the rooms was like a chapel.”

Dr. Judith Orloff: Houses are symbols of your psyche and the different parts of yourself—a chapel, which is the holy sacred part, a room for family, but you feel some disconnection from them, an attic with antiques and other treasures represent treasured parts of yourself and your life, but a warning to avoid cluttering up your psyche with the past.

* * *

A Dream of Flying

Mysterious Ways: This dream comes from Qian: “I used to have this dream series where I would just fly along the coast of oceans by myself (think somewhere like New Zealand or Australia, where there’s lots of green & blue). In my dreams I could control my speed and the height really well using just my ‘wings’— think paragliding but much smaller. Not much happens in these dreams but I just remember feeling really great while flying!”

Dr. Judith Orloff: Flying dreams are archetypal dreams reminding us of our hugeness of spirit and what we are capable of. Children often have flying dreams. The dream reminds you of how capable and free-spirited you are and to always honor that aspect of yourself.

* * *

A Native American Visitor

Audrey Koi: I had a vision, more than a dream. I woke up with this man sitting up on my wall. He had on a tan outfit, with the pants being fringed with Indian pants. I asked, “Who are you” and the image disappeared.

Dr. Judith Orloff: Great dream. If you got a good feeling from this man, it could be one of your guides. If you didn’t have a good feeling, I would send him off. I get a Native American feel to the dream so you might want to see if you resonate with their teachings

Audrey Koi: At the time I thought it was my guide, but I have an Indian room in my house with Indian relics that I have collected over the years. My second thought was that I need to get more things to put in the room, or rearrange it. You and I are on the same page. Thanks.

* * *

The View from Space

Katarzyna Lekaj: I had a dream that God showed me space and how everything is built. I saw earth and everything from the distance. It was so beautiful. In the end he wanted to show me the life underneath the ocean, but I said I was not ready because I drowned in my previous life. What that could mean?

Dr. Judith Orloff: What a beautiful dream! I would be open to all that God has to show you. I happen to believe in past lives, too. Many of us have had some pretty horrible ones so you are not alone. However, it’s important to deal with your fear of water or drowning, which is often symbolic of being emotionally shut down or afraid to speak out. Look at areas of your life today where you muzzle yourself and heal the fear so fear doesn’t stop you from seeing all of God’s Kingdom.

Katarzyna Lekaj: Thank you Dr Judith, I will do my best

* * *

Her Friend’s Children

Wanda Haley: Twice I’ve had dreams about expecting friends. Both times I saw a child with their moms. So far my dreams have predicted correctly the sex of the baby and even hair color! This is new for me. What do you think about the dreams?

Dr. Judith Orloff: I think you’re really in tune with your friends. In Second Sight, read about predictive dreams and the positive healing aspects of them. I would be happy with your own development that you are so in touch and centered!

* * *

Friends and Family, Past and Present

Fehmi N Aydin: One of my dreams was, I was on a large cruise boat and traveling with people from my childhood, including old friends. During the trip, time was going back and forth from present to past, but people did not change. I would pass the hallway seeing someone from high school, but the next corner I would be talking to a person I know today separately, and the groups never mixed. Meals were always with family members and people from the past. Toward the end we lost light and it was dark and scary and then I woke up.

Dr. Judith Orloff: The dream is saying you have compartmentalized certain friends and family. Losing light means that you have lost clarity in seeing your friends and family members. It is very important that you see each person clearly, so you know how to deal with them. This dream is asking for your own empowerment as a person. I suggest the chapters in Emotional Freedom on Overcoming Fear and Combating Emotional Vampires so you can encourage healthy happy relationships in your life and get rid of the drainers!

* * *

Dreaming about an Ex-Boyfriend

Carmen Diaz: Had just broken up with a boyfriend that I loved (but didn’t know I loved him at the time). So I cried myself to sleep, broken-hearted. I dreamt I was walking through my house, coming from my bedroom towards the kitchen, which is in the back of the house. When I reached the screen glass door, I see my brother Henry standing in the middle of the backyard, surrounded by tall stalks of pastel flowers that were planted in a shape of a half-moon (I have always yearned for a garden in the back). So I stepped out of the house and onto the porch. I asked Henry (who at the time lived in New Mexico) who planted the garden. He stated, “I did,” as he pointed toward his chest. Then I see the boyfriend who I had just broken up with hours before, coming towards us, he was walking from our back fence. (When we were dating, he had referenced to me that he spoke to his neighbors who lived behind him.) Then I looked at my brother Henry and started telepathizing with him and asked him what he thought of my then-boyfriend. He telepathized back, “He’s a smart guy.”

Then I woke up at 3am and felt the HOLY SPIRIT command me to read 2 Corinthians. Chapter One was about past relationships.

I felt really amazed, confused, and felt that dream was of the future

Dr. Judith Orloff: It sounds like Henry and spirit is telling you to give your ex another look. It is pointing out that sometimes you miss beautiful loving qualities in men. Perhaps you’re attracted to the wrong men or unavailable men? Make sure the man you choose knows how to love.

Carmen Diaz: Thanks it’s too late for me and that ex. This dream was 7 years ago. Always puzzled me. The ex is married. I pray that I recognize love next time and I agree with you on choosing a man who knows how to love.

* * *

A Recurring Dream of Being Lost

Kitty Suessbrick Best: Hi Dr. Orloff! My dream is recurring (a LOT!). I’m back at college (20+ years after graduating!) and I’m LOST. I’m usually looking for a class I cannot find and am late/unprepared for or my own dorm or anywhere else. But I’m always searching and never finding! Thanks for your help.

Dr. Judith Orloff: This is a collective dream that many people have about being unprepared in life. The dream is telling you to breathe, center yourself in your life so you don’t miss out on things. Prioritize what is most important. Make sure you know what’s important to you and go after it rather than just let life happen. Ask yourself what you are searching for in your life now and define a plan how to find it and be prepared with all kinds of good things to happen!

* * *

A Dream About Food

Daniel Hoffman: Here’s a strange one I had last week: I’m at work in the office. Two of the senior editors mention a new catalog they are working on—top priority. It’s a laminated menu with photos of hamburgers.

Later: I’m on a green lawn. A coworker is gluing roasted chickens to a large tray; she flips the tray around, the chickens stay attached, and she glues more chickens to the other side.

Back in the office, I’m shown a new layout: images of hamburgers placed in diagonal rows. Someone says, “You can tell it’s their layout,” referring to the two senior editors.

I go back downstairs, hungry. My coworker is still working with the tray of roasted chickens. I ask her for one. Why buy lunch when there’s all this food lying around? She rips one off the tray and hands it to me…

Dr. Judith Orloff: This dream has multilayers. First, it’s a dream about abundance. That you have an abundance of nourishment around you if you can ask for it. Also a warning about being too self sufficient. On another layer, it warns against being “a chicken” in the workplace about your ideas. Speak up, be brave. You have such talent!

* * *

An Unfinished Room

Lori June: Recurring dream: huge room in my house as big as a church fellowship hall. It’s decades old and has a few expensive antiques but is unfinished, including the flooring. One corner is fixed nice with a rich, king-sized 4-poster bed, Persian rug, rock fireplace. Except for the corner, the room is dirty and needs hundreds of thousands of dollars for repair. I can’t afford it, close the door behind me, regretful and mentally exhausted.

Dr. Judith Orloff: Great dream. The room is symbolic of you and your life. A corner of it is rich and textured but a large portion still needs to be fixed up. That’s where patience comes in. Do not be hard on yourself. Be very patient with your own healing (your house). Sometimes you might feel that you can’t “afford” to examine scary feelings about your past, but I suggest that with loving help of a therapist you can go to those areas to free yourself. Everyone gets tired at times, but begin again and move towards the power of the heart.

* * *

An Insistent Waiter

Paula Frighetti: My dream: I was in a Mexican restaurant with a group of people. We asked for the check but the waiter indicated we needed to wait. He brought us a layered tray with food that should have been included in our meal. The top tray had large dinner rolls on it, the bottom tray had rice and beans. The scene switched to another room, like a cafeteria. The waiter kept bringing pastries especially for me. I mentioned to a friend that I wasn’t supposed to eat gluten, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Dr. Judith Orloff: The dream is asking you to address the people-pleasing part of yourself in your life so you don’t give up too many of your needs with other people. The dream is encouraging you to speak your needs and tell people (the waiter) what you want.

Paula Frighetti: Ah! I think you hit the nail on the head. Thank you!

* * *

Visiting an Ex

Sharon Patterson Payne: I have had many recurring dreams over the years. I always dream that I have returned to my ex-husband’s home, which I used to live in. In it I find a room that I did not know existed before. It is so beautiful and I get the feeling I never want to leave. The door and windows have no locks and I am fearful because of that. What could this dream mean? Thank you so much.

Dr. Judith Orloff: Recurring dreams are a signal from your unconscious that you need to listen to the message. The dream is saying that there is some quality that your ex has that you missed when you were with him—some beautiful quality (the room that you never knew existed!). I don’t think the dream is saying return to your husband, but I do think it is important for you to identify the quality you missed and value it in other people.

Sharon Patterson Payne: Thank you so very much.

* * *

Along on a Raft

Marilee Griffin: I had a dream about a month ago, I was on a large lake, and it was either dawn or dusk. I was on a wooden raft, alone. I managed to go over where there were others, a group of men on a larger raft near shore, and another group of people near the shore. No one seemed to see me. Suddenly I fell into the water, and went far down, but resurfaced quickly. That’s all I remember. Dr. Judith, can you please tell me what this dream means?

Dr. Judith Orloff: Great dream! The dream is saying that you feel alone in life at times and that you feel uncentered around male energy (men didn’t see you in the dream nor did they recognize you were in danger of capsizing). This dream is asking you to evaluate your relationship to your own feminine nature and look at your feelings about men. Very exciting exploration!

* * *

Lost on Her Way Home

Kim Griffin: I have recurring dreams where I travel to a familiar place like vacation home, work, etc. and get lost and can’t find my way home. In real life, I have lost my children, both to different accidents, and was wondering what these dreams could mean.

Dr. Judith Orloff: The dream is asking you to address the feeling of why you feel lost so that you can find your tribe and your true home. Home is a powerful concept. It starts from within but it also involves finding kindred spirits. I am sure you have felt the grief of losing your children, but it might come up again to heal even a deeper layer. You are a beautiful sensitive soul. Read about empaths in Emotional Freedom. You will relate.

Kim Griffin: Thanks, I will.

* * *

Frightening Dreams of Violence

Liz Templeton: I have been writing down and trying to interpret my dreams for a couple months now after reading your book. I have had some amazing things happen since I have been doing this. I have very vivid and violent dreams sometimes. I have been shot, raped, stabbed, chased and even died (or thought I had died). Is this good or bad? I wake up terrified and it sometimes takes me a day or two to recover. Is this normal? Is there a way to control or not be so terrified of them when I do have them?

Dr. Judith Orloff: Glad you are using the dream journal suggestion in Emotional Freedom. Journals are a great way to remember your dreams. You are having psychological dreams in which your psyche is asking you to examine a part of your past—perhaps childhood or past relationships—to uncover what scared you. It’s okay. The dream is trying to awaken you to this. Gently reexamine your past to find one or two elements that scared you (it can be an alcoholic parent, an ex who was abusive, etc.) and gently slowly begin to heal. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a therapist to guide you. Know that this is a great dream helping you get over fear.

Liz Templeton: Thank you. I don’t know if you get your personal messages on here, but I sent you a message a few days ago about a dream I had after reading your book that has changed my life and has me on a healing journey now to find myself. Thank you again!

* * *

Dreams of Being Chased

Margaret Blue: For me, as of lately, most or all of my dreams have involved myself and one or more family members being chased in some form. Just last night, it was being chased by zombies at some sort of formal event. NO LIE! Prior to that, it was 3 long-haired mobsters dressed identically, after finding a large amount of hidden money. What does being chased mean? Is something after me, or is there some old issue that needs to be buried by me that isn’t?

Dr. Judith Orloff: Chase dreams are very common. They are asking you to stop in your waking life and to look at what issues or people from the past or present are chasing you. Is it your abusive parent, a drug addicted ex, someone who was cruel to you? Identify the culprit who is chasing you and heal that issue in yourself. Same goes for your family. Good healing work!

* * *

Tsunami Dreams

Nicole Fox: I have recurring dreams since I was 16 (I’m about to be 28 now) about tsunamis. All different people in my dream, but the same tidal wave that I have to survive and ensure survival of those in my dream with me. It’s crazy. LOL. Sometimes I have a ladder to climb to get over the wave or I have to hold my breath long enough to swim under it and get to the other side.

Dr. Judith Orloff: This is a dream about you feeling overwhelmed by something in your life that’s happening or by fear. The dream is asking you to learn to ground and center yourself—meditation is a great skill I discuss in Emotional Freedom. The dream is also asking you to examine the overwhelming aspects of your current life or childhood and heal those sources of overwhelm.

Nicole Fox: Hmmm. That makes sense. Thanks Dr Judith. Great insight

* * *

Forgetting a Child

Carol BC Honkanen: I used to have a recurring dream that I had forgotten my son when he was an infant. What does that mean?

Dr. Judith Orloff: In Emotional Freedom, I talk about anxiety dreams. This is a very common dream among mothers. Mothers have a certain amount of normal anxiety, particularly when their children are born. It is perfectly natural to feel that way!

Carol BC Honkanen: Dr. Judith Orloff: It was terrifying. (Especially since I allowed my ex-husband keep custody of him.)

Carol BC Honkanen: I still don’t understand what the dream meant. Being “natural” for a mother doesn’t mean anything to me. It is also natural to have flying dreams, but at least you give meaning to that.

Tanessa Noll: I think she is saying this was an anxiety dream. Your real-life fears about your son were playing out in the dream. I could definitely see such a dream being terrifying!

Carol BC Honkanen: ehhhh

Carol BC Honkanen: Flying could be terrifying. It still doesn’t mean anything. I am not an anxious person so those words don’t even compute.

* * *

Prophetic Dreams of Family

Dianne Williams: Last year I dreamed that my sister and her husband returned to the US from their daughter’s home in New Zealand where they are helping her raise her sons. In my dream they returned to their own home and prepared it to get ready for their daughter and grandsons. Also, they were building an in-ground pool for the boys (8 and 6 years old) and the excavated area was unfinished and covered with a big blue tarp. In June this dream actually came true except for the pool part. In my dream it wasn’t clear if they were all going to stay in the US or return to New Zealand because I woke up. However, in reality, they all returned to New Zealand and within a month of them all returning, my young nephews were baptized into the Catholic Church. There were many other elements in my dream, including friendly farm animals and zoo animals and long green fields flanked with woods and trees in autumn colors—lots of this reflecting memories from childhood. But this was the first and only time I know of that I had any dream that seemed even remotely prophetic. Can you confirm that is actually was a prophetic dream and if I should watch and wait for more?

Dr. Judith Orloff: In Second Sight, I discuss prophetic dreams. Sometimes especially with people we love we have these kinds of dreams. It certainly seems like you did have one. You have a beautiful family and love them madly.

The unexcavated part regarding the children means there is some uncertainty in your mind about something that is happening to them—but more will be revealed. Be sure to explore who they really are with them and accept them for who they are. The dream says there are still more areas to explore with regard to them.

Dianne Williams: Thank you so much for your response! I do indeed love my family madly and things continue to develop for them in NZ, which will keep them from returning to the US for quite some time.

* * *

Blessed by Mary

Agnes Gerke: Help me, please. [I dreamed about] Mary in the desert in a yellow dress and yelow burqa.

Dr. Judith Orloff: Don’t dismiss this dream! It was a guidance dream in which Mary showed up for you to bless you. Know that Mary is your guide for the future!

Agnes Gerke: I also had a vision on TV, that Mary is at the helm of the ship. Last I saw a ship on Dominic Purcell’s instagram. I do not know what to do.

Dr. Judith Orloff: Mary is at the helm of the ship of life and death. In your meditations, focus on her. She is a powerful influence on you. Ask her for guidance about your life.

Agnes Gerke: Thank you so much.

* * *

Sharon Henderson: How do I tune in for the chat?

Mysterious Ways: Hi Sharon, the chat just ended, but you can ask Dr. Orloff a question via her website.

Willing to Be Blessed in New York City

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Brett Leveridge

On a weekday afternoon some years ago, I was sitting alone in my small one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s west side when someone buzzed me from downstairs. As I wasn’t expecting a visitor, I assumed it was the postman seeking admission to the building. I made my way over to the front door of my flat and pressed the button on the intercom.

“Yes?”

“Hello. I work for the television show Law & Order. We’re doing some location scouting for some interior scenes, and I wonder if you might be willing to let me see your apartment.”

Here was an unexpected request. I live on a lovely block in a historic district, so quite a bit of filming does take place in my neighborhood, but it certainly never occurred to me that someone might consider my humble abode as a location for a TV drama.

I buzzed the man in, and after we introduced ourselves at my front door, I stepped aside to allow him to enter. As he looked around, my mind began to race, thinking of what it might mean if my apartment was chosen for filming.

I had been laid off from my position at an e-commerce company some months before, and I hadn’t yet had any luck finding a new job. I’d once read that TV shows and movies paid generously to use private homes for filming. That money would certainly come in handy, as my unemployment insurance was winding down. It all felt serendipitous, even miraculous.

My reverie was abruptly interrupted when my visitor received a call on his cell. After chatting quietly for a few moments, he turned to me and said, “I’m sorry to have bothered you. My colleague found an apartment down the street that suits our purposes, and it looks as if we’ll be filming there.”

Was I disappointed? Yes, of course, but I also felt oddly heartened by the near miss. I was reminded that blessings are often bestowed just when they’re needed most. In this case, the blessing wasn’t that I would be compensated for the use of my apartment. It was being reminded that blessings large and small await us, though we can’t always guess when or where they will present themselves. But they are there for us, and we must endeavor to remain open to receiving them.

As E. B. White wrote in 1949, “No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky.” White might just as well have phrased it “willing to be blessed,” and the sentiment is true no matter where one resides.

One More Lesson Learned

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Brett Leveridge

I came home from work, sank into the nearest chair and opened the newspaper I had carried in from the front porch of my log cabin. The business news section featured a piece about a local woman who had just gotten a big promotion at the bank, along with a snazzy photo of her.

She was in my class in junior high, I remembered. She made something of herself. Why haven’t I?

It had been another long day at my nursing job, and I had come home exhausted and discouraged. My checkbook wasn’t balancing, and I was still trying to adapt to life after divorce. Being reminded of my junior high days didn’t help at all.

BROWSE OUR SELECTION OF BOOKS ON POSITIVE LIVING

Junior high. I was an awkward girl with funny-looking clothes. I never fit in. In my Westerner photo I wore big, thick glasses with ugly frames. My pigtails were anything but fashionable.

No wonder my smile seemed forced. Years ago I had thrown out that yearbook so that I’d never have to look at that picture again.

All the popular girls back then wore designer jeans. The boys too. And you had to have the right hairstyle. The right look. The right everything.

But I never did. I wore hand-me-downs and clothes my mother found on sale, like the out-of-style pants made from a fabric so stiff that the legs could stand up by themselves.

If there was a bright spot back then, it was definitely Mrs. Barrett’s home ec class. I sensed it the first day I took my place in front of an old Singer sewing machine.

Mrs. Barrett wore an ivory chiffon blouse with a high collar, her curly hair piled atop her head in an elegant swirl. “Good morning, class,” she said. “I’m going to teach you how to sew.”

I’ll learn to make my own clothes, I thought. I’ll sew things that make me look as put together as Mrs. Barrett.

Our first project was a simple apron. The other girls picked “in” fabrics like blue denim. I chose yellow calico. Mrs. Barrett stopped by my desk. Her eyes sparkled as she leaned over to scrutinize my work. “What a cheerful color,” she told me. “Your stitches are so straight and even, Roberta.”

The clicking of the other kids’ machines slowed. There was a lone snicker, followed by a full round of giggles. I thought I would die. I knew that the other girls were wondering if I would wear that dumb yellow apron over my ugly pants.

Mrs. Barrett never laughed at anyone. She would stop at someone’s Singer and always find something “positively stupendous” to remark on.

In other classes I sometimes daydreamed or even doodled in my notebook. But never in home ec. Mrs. Barrett was my favorite teacher. No other teacher talked to students the way she did. She made me feel noticed—not for being different, but for who I was inside. And the more she encouraged me, the more my talents emerged.

Thirty years later I still put to use what I had learned in her class. No matter how tough life got, I was always able to lift myself up by sewing, decorating and cooking. In fact, I’d made a second career as a decorating consultant. Thanks to Mrs. Barrett.

Now, tossing the newspaper aside, the thought struck me, Why don’t you tell her?

Would she think it was strange hearing from me after so long? Maybe, but I got out the phone book anyway and ran my finger down the Bs. Babcock, Barclay, Barrett…there she was. I jotted down the address and started on a letter.

“You probably don’t remember me,” I wrote. “I just wanted to let you know how much your encouragement way back then meant to me.”

If only I had encouragement like that now, I thought. My life was nothing special. Where was my big promotion, my modern house in the suburbs, my husband at home every night? Nothing had really changed since junior high. I was still so different. Still so out of step.

Three days after I mailed the letter my phone rang at work. “Roberta? I thought I remembered hearing that you worked at this hospital.”

“Mrs. Barrett!”

“Thank you for your lovely letter. It’s good to know I made a difference in a student’s life,” she said, then insisted, “you must come visit me.”

The next night I stood at her door, as nervous as a schoolgirl. I rang the bell. The door opened and there she was, looking more frail than I remembered but every bit as elegant.

“Roberta!” She ushered me inside and settled me into a wingback chair next to an antique oil lamp. I sat up straight, hoping to impress her.

“Would you like some tea?” she asked. I nodded. When she returned, she handed me a cup of steaming tea and said, “Wait until you see what I found!”

She went upstairs and came back with a slim gray book in her hands. “Look!” The Westerner. My junior high yearbook.

Please, God, no, I silently begged. Not that picture!

But she couldn’t be stopped. “Let’s see,” she said, opening the pages. “Weren’t you in the glee club?” She marked the place with her finger.

There I was—believe it or not—in a skirt I’d made out of some old drapes my mother was going to throw away. What had I been thinking?

Mrs. Barrett beamed. “You were always so clever. Do you remember the dress you made with three sets of snap-in sleeves?” I remembered all right. Three sets of sleeves—short, leg-of-mutton and long, accented with bright embroidery tape that I had salvaged from a sewing basket.

I bit my lip. I told her I was so embarrassed that I had even thrown my yearbook away. “How did you keep from laughing?” I asked her.

“Laugh?” Mrs. Barrett put her teacup down. “I was always so impressed with your imagination.” She laid the yearbook on the table and took my hand. “So, my dear, how is your life today?”

I hesitated. Why not just tell her the truth? That my life’s not so hot. That I don’t get fancy promotions and don’t have my picture in the paper. That I’m still just Roberta, the awkward kid a little out of sync with everyone else.

I drew a breath. “I’m… I’m divorced,” I said. “I work at the hospital, but sometimes I get so tired and discouraged that I’m convinced I’m a failure.”

“Oh, Roberta,” she said, “everybody feels like that from time to time. But think of the satisfaction of working with people who really need you.”

She leaned closer then, her kind eyes sparkling just the way I had always remembered.

I started talking and couldn’t stop. I told her more about my work. I told her about the stories I’d written that were published in magazines. I told her about the log cabin I had seen that was just about to be bulldozed. “I bought it and fixed it up with antique appliances and furniture.”

Mrs. Barrett looked at me. “The clothes you sewed were different, your house is different, the life you created for yourself is different,” she said. “Teenagers try to blend in, to look like one another. Adults do it too. But God makes us unique. He gives us individual characteristics that make us special.”

She squeezed my hand. “Roberta, you are an original. God loves you as you are. Can you?”

She flipped through the pages of the yearbook until she came to my picture. I looked down at my 13-year-old face. True, it didn’t look like all of the others, but it looked perfectly nice. And interesting.

It would have been fun to be her friend, I thought. And I still could be. Lord, help me to love myself as you love me, I prayed.

It was time to leave. Mrs. Barrett hugged me. Then she slipped something under my arm. “Roberta, I want you to have this,” she said.

It was her copy of The Westerner. This one I’d never throw away.

Excerpted from the collection Threads of Encouragement: True Stories to Warm Your Heart, available from Guidepost Books.

For more inspiring stories, subscribe to Guideposts magazine.

5 Gratitude Devotions to Brighten Your Day

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by sciancanellis

Can reading about gratitude make us feel more grateful in our own lives? Yes! You can use these powerful devotions on gratitude to find more hope and positivity in your every day life.

1. Let Gratitude Shine in Your Life

A devotion on gratitude by Norman Vincent Peale

Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. —Psalm 107:1

If you want to feel better physically, if you want a better outlook on life, remember that verse.

Every morning when you get up, instead of fretting and complaining, instead of turning to the media to see how bad everything is, just go and look out of the window. Take a deep breath and say, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” It makes you feel better just to think of doing that, doesn’t it? How much better it will make you feel if you follow that habit of gratitude every day!

The art of thanksgiving is one of the most important skills a human being can develop. Sadly, I believe most of us are somewhat lacking in this area. But very closely related to thanksgiving is the art of appreciation. And if we develop the ability to appreciate, we also develop our capacity to be thankful.

Begin with acknowledging the small wonders of life, those little things like hot coffee or the smell of a rose, fresh sheets or bread warm from the oven. It is God’s will that we “give thanks in everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). All of us have simple, beautiful things that Almighty God has given us, which we can appreciate. Open your eyes and see that God “does wonderful things without number” (Job 5:9). Gratitude every day!

There’s another reason to be thankful for our blessings: Gratitude activates the flow of even more blessings in our life. And by the same token, ingratitude, fear, or doubt has the opposite effect. If you hold a thought—positive or negative—you create a soil that is hospitable to the germination of the fact for which the thought is the symbol. And the seed you plant, whether good or bad, “produces a crop yielding a hundred…times what was sown” (Matthew 13:23).

So don’t entertain negative thoughts. Fight them, with God’s help. Keep them out of your mind.

One important way to do that is not to articulate, not to express such thoughts in words. Cut off the articulation and you reduce half their strength. It will then be easier to cut them off mentally. You have to practice this. And in this practicing, visualization is helpful. Each day, pray with the Psalmist, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

We used to sing an old hymn with this refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

How long has it been since you have counted up your blessings? When you invite a person to recount his troubles, you are likely to find he can do so all too readily. But if you can get somebody to enumerate his blessings to you, and you look at his face as he does it, you see somebody who really has light in his heart. Let the light of gratitude shine in your life!

2. A Shift in Perspective Devotion

Do all things without complaining and disputing. —Philippians 2:14

Sharon Hinck arrived at church for a planning meeting with two toddlers in tow. In the narthex, one broke free and ran off, while the other clung to her legs, whining. Pastor Miller came out to greet them with a warm smile. “How are you today?” he asked. Sharon huffed a strand of bangs out of her eyes and winced against a growing headache. “The kids are running me ragged,” she said. Pastor Miller’s eyes twinkled. See how his words gave Sharon a new perspective on turning gripes to gratitude.

3. A Daily Devotion on the Power of Gratitude

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.—Psalm 92:1

Gloria’s friends often feel sorry for her—she provides seemingly tireless care for her ailing husband and doesn’t have time for outings or special events. But when her friends ask her about it, Gloria tells them, “I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I have too much for which to be thankful!” Learn about what Gloria sees as the true power of gratitude.

4. Living a Life of Gratitude

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime. —Ecclesiastes 3:12

Are we truly aware of just how much there is for us to be thankful and joyful about? God is everywhere. He created the Earth and His handiwork can be seen everywhere: in the air we breathe, the grass we run through at play, the mountains we scale and marvel over and the million other awe-inspiring miracles across the globe. Let this devotion on gratitude bring you some much-needed positivity. Read more about living a life of gratitude with an easy faith step.

5. Gratitude for What Makes Us Unique

He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. —Acts 17:26

Erika Bentsen could still remember the look the girl at the bank had when she asked Erika’s occupation and she proudly said, “I run cows.” The girl’s nose wrinkled, and she held Erika’s application away from her immaculate suit with manicured, mile-long fingernails. “Why?” she blurted. “It’s so dirty!”

The memory of that day leapt to mind as Erika helped sort calves in the corral after a thorough rain. The mud was almost knee-deep, but they got the job done and kept their socks fairly clean in the process. Everything else got splattered. Erika wondered about that banker girl. Which of them had chosen the better career? Let this unique devotion on gratitude bring you new perspective. See how giving thanks helped Erika remember that we are all God’s children.

READ MORE ABOUT FEELING MORE GRATITUDE:

No Need to Say Thanks

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by 26096pwpadmin

I was worried about my upcoming eye surgery and also about how to thank my friend and neighbor Dick for driving me. The Cleveland Clinic was 90 miles away from our home in Lexington, Ohio. I couldn’t make the drive home with a bandaged eye, and my wife, Peggy, wasn’t used to driving in big-city traffic. “What about Dick?” Peggy had suggested. “He’s always driving everywhere to football games.”

That was true—Dick was a huge football fan, driving hours just to see his favorite teams. He knew everything about the up-and-coming college stars. When the NFL Draft arrived, he loved finding out the college players signed by our beloved Cleveland Browns.

Dick agreed to help us out, of course. Now, as I waited for my surgery, I racked my brain, trying to think of a way to say thanks. He’d dragged himself out of bed at sunrise only to sit in the hospital waiting room all day. Not even a Sports Illustrated on the magazine table. Dick sighed.

“I’m going to take a walk around,” he said, getting up from his chair. Now I felt really uneasy.

“We’ll get him a gift certificate or something later,” Peggy said when I told her my concern. But that didn’t seem right. What can I do? I prayed. A half hour passed with no sign of Dick. “I wonder if he got lost in this place,” I said.

Just then, Dick strode down the hall, a huge smile on his face. “I want to thank you,” he said.

Thank me? I wondered. “For what?”

“You won’t believe who I met in the elevator,” he said. “Brady Quinn, last year’s quarterback for Notre Dame. He’s here getting his team physical. He was just drafted by the Browns in the first round. I shook his hand and welcomed him to Cleveland!”

My surgery went without a hitch. And I no longer worried about how to thank Dick. He couldn’t stop talking about meeting Brady Quinn for days afterward.

New Year’s Resolution Idea: Be Gentle

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Holly Lebowitz Rossi

I have mixed emotions about New Year’s resolutions. On the one hand, they are opportunities to ask with open curiosity, How can I grow and evolve this year? On the other hand, the promises we tend to make to ourselves can be tough to keep, leaving us feeling frustrated and in need of a re-set before the new calendar has even turned its first page.

This year, the surge of Covid cases due to the Omicron variant has set many of us back on our heels, renewing old worries and exhausting our flexible-thinking, plan-changing skills. So as we think about stepping into the new year, it only feels appropriate to make one promise to ourselves: Resolve to be gentle.

Be Gentle with Yourself
First and most importantly, the present moment calls us to dial up the self-compassion and prioritize kindness when we look in the mirror. If you are hoping to launch a healthy habit in the new year—from better food choices to more exercise to improved sleep to less time spent looking at your phone—be intentional about why you’re hoping to make these changes. Make sure “because I love and value myself” is high on the list of reasons—and set goals that allow you to move at a reasonable yet satisfying pace.

Be Gentle with Others
If you are feeling slower or heavier than normal, know this—you are not even close to being alone. Everyone’s riding the roller coaster of these stressful days in their own way, and if a friend or loved one takes longer to respond to messages, seems distracted or emotionally unavailable, or spends more time than usual complaining about how hard things are, hold space for them. Know that they might be struggling to move gently through their days—and offer them the gift of your presence and patience as they work through the tough stuff.

Be Gentle with the World
Many of us incorporate volunteer work, charitable giving or simple practices like a kind word to the postal worker or grocery bagger into our New Year’s resolution thinking. Between blaring headlines and stressors from supply chain challenges to an overwhelmed health care system, we might feel bottled up with frustration and worry. Turn your gentle attitude outward to the wider world and ask yourself, how can I make a difference in the world today? Don’t be surprised if ideas come to you that feel small—but spoiler alert, they’re not small at all.

What’s on your mind as you step into the new year?

Need to Let Go? Look to the Sky

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Holly Lebowitz Rossi

Remember the childhood game of looking up at the clouds and imagining what animals, vehicles or other shapes you saw in all that fluffiness? The film critic Roger Ebert once said something that puts that game into a thoughtful context: “Clouds do not really look like camels or sailing ships or castles in the sky,” he said, “They are simply a natural process at work. So too, perhaps, are our lives.”

In early summer, breezes carry clouds across the sky so beautifully—so effortlessly—that I marvel not at their shape or size, but at how they remind me that the world is always in a natural state of motion.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, King Solomon writes, “For everything there is a season. . .” Buddhists would call this idea impermanence, the notion that this moment’s sky looks—actually is—materially different from the sky that blanketed overhead only moments ago. The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh makes a direct connection between those breezy clouds and our emotional lives when he says, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky.”

Feelings, like clouds, are impermanent. Joy, sorrow, anger, worry—none of those emotions will accompany you forever, any more than a wisp of cloud will be waiting for you when you gaze upward an hour from now.

This can be either a challenging or a comforting idea, depending on your perspective. It’s hard to let go of things, and a sense of loss accompanies almost every parting. But if we have no ability to release, how can we find the strength to seek out new things, new experiences, new people, new skies?

When I look upward, I choose to see the passing clouds carrying away only those things that are ready to move on to new horizons. Everything I need to hold onto is right here with me, down on the ground. But up above, everything is in motion, in a natural process that knows exactly what to do.

Need a Happiness Boost? Listen for the Birds

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Holly Lebowitz Rossi

Possibly the most helpful, enjoyable, and joy-bringing app I’ve added to my phone lately is Merlin, a free bird identification program created by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.

There are many features the app offers, including identifying birds by photo and creating a “life list” of birds you’ve spotted or heard on your travels.

But my favorite is the birdsong listening feature, where you can turn on your phone’s microphone and learn what tweets, squeaks, caws and chirps are all around you. Sitting in my backyard, I never cease to be pleasantly surprised to encounter far more birds than I thought were in my immediate vicinity. I also enjoy hearing different calls show up as the same species, evidence that the birds in my neighborhood are communicating with each other.

The sense of calm, well-being and pleasure that I feel when I’m hearing birdsong is supported by research. One study found that being in the presence of birdsong had a measurable positive impact on a person’s mood, an effect that lasted several hours after heading indoors or away from the bird-full area.

Another study looked at 26,000 individuals in 26 European countries and found demonstrably higher life-satisfaction among those who lived near diverse bird habitats. A fascinating finding was that seeing 10 percent more bird species generated similar satisfaction to comparable increase in income.

This fall, when you head outdoors to run errands, take a walk or go for a hike, listen for the birds that share your space. Perhaps you can be inspired by this Chinese proverb: “Keep a green tree in your heart, and perhaps a singing bird will come.”

Music to God’s Ears

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Michelle Cox

Is there anything more beautiful than the sound of children singing? I was reminded of that last night when we went to hear our oldest son preach. At the beginning of the service, many members of the congregation gathered in the choir loft, some of them taking their children with them.

The beautiful strains of the old hymn, At the Cross, drifted throughout the sanctuary. After a verse or so, the adult voices dropped off and all we could hear was the children singing—both in the choir and throughout the auditorium.

A Journey of Faith In Article Ad - Avail Now

The sound of my grandchildren singing those precious words with great gusto moved me to tears. Such pure little hearts and voices. Such sincere worship. It had to be music to God’s ears as well.

I suspect God must love the sound of people singing because of the numerous mentions He’s given it in His Word. He encourages us to praise Him with song. To sing with joy because He’s redeemed us and comforted us.

He tells of angels singing, and songs of thanksgiving, and implores us to sing of His righteousness, His lovingkindness, and His faithfulness.

He tells of songs in the night. Symbolic of those dark times in our lives. I remember so clearly being in the hospital after a serious car wreck. The doctors didn’t think I’d ever walk normally again. It was a scary time and the nights were long, lonely and painful. But then God sent those songs in the night as thoughts of ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus and Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace echoed in my heart. I sang softly so I wouldn’t disturb anyone, but I can’t tell you how much comfort those songs brought to me.

And God says that even the mountains and the hills shout out in joy to Him. Isn’t that cool? His creation is so in awe of Him that it can’t contain its joy. I love that.

David sang to King Saul to calm him. The Children of Israel sang when they brought their offerings before God and when they dedicated the wall of Jerusalem.

And Paul sang in prison. Yes, in the middle of a dank cell. After being locked up unfairly. Can you imagine how the unusual sound of someone singing must have echoed through that prison? I love the line in Scripture that says “and the prisoners were listening.” I suspect the songs that were sung by Paul and Silas made a lasting impact on all who heard them.

And God can use the sounds of our praise to touch the hearts of others—even if we sing off-key.

Are you going through a hard time today? Sing and trust Him. Is life good? Sing and praise Him. I know it will be music to His ears.

Moving On and Saying Goodbye to The Hill Farm

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Katie Allen Berlandi

We began the task early in 2009, about a year after my Grandma Peale passed away. There were rooms upon rooms to go through, closets beyond closets, drawers galore, endless cupboards, an attic, two basements. There were treasures, trinkets, books, clothing and kitchenware. We knew a lot of time and care and sorting and packing and distributing lay ahead for us family members.

Grandma and Grandpa Peale had an apartment in New York City and a house 75 miles upstate, in Pawling. They purchased their Pawling home, The Hill Farm, in 1964, and it is where Grandpa died in December 1993 and where Grandma died in February 2008.

Grandma and Grandpa loved The Hill Farm and spent weekends and holidays there. They took long walks and read. They took in the natural beauty of their property and the Hudson Valley beyond. They wrote and prayed. And they brought family together.

The Hill Farm was where we members of the extended family enjoyed meals, time in the pool, playing hide and seek, and picnicking on the stone tables around the property. Memories were made both inside and outside of Grandma and Grandpa’s Pawling home.

In a mere few weeks The Hill Farm will belong to another family. Getting every last item out of The Hill Farm, and the other buildings on the property, has been an adventure. There were times, when I was packing up boxes or just driving by, that my stomach clenched at the thought that this rare and beautiful home will no longer be our family’s to visit and enjoy.

But it is time to let go and welcome what the new owners will bring to The Hill Farm. As author Juan Nakamori wrote, “If you have been grasping onto something, try to let it go. Your empty hands will be ready to receive a new gift.” I am not sure what this new gift will be. Perhaps the pleasure in seeing more lights in the windows, activity on the property, and even getting to know the new residents.

I will hold on to the memories made at The Hill Farm and will continue to share them with my children. I will keep the images and sensations I experienced there tucked away in a place where I can easily retrieve them. And now I will let go, moving on and away from The Hill Farm. May it be filled with love again, and with new gifts to be shared by the family who will call it home.

Max Lucado: Because of Bethlehem

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by Ashley Lateef

The Christmas tree hunt is on. Families are entering tents and patrolling sidewalks. They lift limbs and examine needles. They measure. They ponder. They consider. They barter.

The tree can’t be too tall or too short. It needs to fit the room and the budget. It must be full yet not dense, mature but not dry. A noble fir for some. A Douglas fir or Virginia pine for others. The preferences are different, but the desire is the same. We want the perfect Christmas tree.

And, oh, the special moment when we find it. When we lash it to the car. Drag it into the house and set it in the tree stand. We revel in this moment. Only a few people have won the U.S. Open, completed an Ironman triathlon, or qualified as Rhodes Scholars.

Fewer still have positioned a Christmas tree so that it doesn’t lean.Throughout the year we prepare. We read articles, attend seminars, swap ideas, and share secrets. We are bonded by the desire to avoid the tragedy of the holiday season: a leaning tree. One year I barely escaped.

Denalyn and I placed the tree in the stand, stood back, and sighed at what we saw. The dreaded tilt. I crawled under the branches and began adjusting the screws until the tree stood as straight as a stalk of wheat. We stepped back and admired my engineering skills.

Denalyn placed her arm in mine, and I choked back tears of joy. My children called me blessed. Angels began to sing. The blast of trumpets sounded in the front yard where neighbors had gathered. The White House called to congratulate me. We strung the lights and hung the decorations. It was a wonderful night.

Then disaster struck. The tree started to lean again. Decorations shook, lights shifted, Denalyn shouted, and I ran to the rescue.This time I placed the tree on its side, removed the stand, and saw the root of the problem. Just six inches above the cut line was a right turn. Our tree was crooked!

READ MORE: MAX LUCADO—A REAL VIP

Once upon a time in a forest, this tree had been a leaner! And now here it was, in our house, in broad daylight, in front of my own children—leaning again!What’s a person to do? As I was retrieving a saw from the garage, it occurred to me: I’m not the first father to deal with this issue. God faces this situation on a continual basis.

Don’t we have our share of unattractive bents?I know I do. Take just the last three days:

I avoided returning a call to a congregant because most of the time conversations with him generate more whine than Napa Valley. I saw his number on my phone and groaned, “I don’t want an earful of his woes.” And I’m a pastor! One of his pastors! I’m supposed to love the sheep, feed the sheep, and care for the sheep. And I avoided this sheep. (I eventually called. He wanted to compliment a sermon.)
I woke up at 2:30 yesterday morning, reliving the outcome of a meeting. I disagreed with a particular decision. When the vote was taken, I was in the minority. And I was ticked off. Between 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., I convicted each of the other team members of stupidity and insensitivity. My thought pattern was toxic.
And then there is the issue of a deadline. Will I make it? Why did I agree to it? Why does the publisher demand it? Don’t they know it takes space for a fragile soul like mine to create?

Would that I stood as straight as a sequoia, but I don’t. And since I don’t, I find a kindred spirit in the Christmas tree. I think you will find the same. What you do for a tree, God does for you.

He picked you.

Do you purchase the first tree you see? Of course not. You search for the right one. You walk the rows. You lift several up and set them down. You examine them from all angles until you decide, This one is perfect. You have a place in mind where the tree will sit. Not just any tree will do.

God does the same. He knows just the place where you’ll be placed. He has a barren living room in desperate need of warmth and joy. A corner of the world needs some color. He selected you with that place in mind.

As King David wrote, “You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother’s body. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way. What you have done is wonderful . . . All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old” (Ps. 139:13–14, 16 NCV).

God made you on purpose with a purpose. He interwove calendar and character, circumstance and personality to create the right person for the right corner of the world, and then he paid the price to take you home.

Did you enjoy this story? Subscribe to Guideposts magazine.

Margaret Feinberg ‘Fights Back with Joy’

Posted on March 11, 2026March 12, 2026 by jtoomer

Margaret Feinberg is one of the leading female voices in the evangelical world. In any given year, she can be found traveling the globe, giving talks to thousands of people, or at home, writing another best-selling book or Bible study — her collection now has sold nearly one million copies. The author and self-described “hot-mess” has an it-factor about her that makes readers want to devour her books the minute they go on sale and listen captively as she speaks at big-name Christian conferences. Maybe it’s her candor, the fact that she’s not afraid to talk about the things that matter openly and honestly. She opens all the way up in her new book Fight Back With Joy where she details her battle with breast cancer and how holding on to joy in her life was the best God-given medicine she could’ve recieved.

Fight Back With Joy isn’t just a “how-to” for people looking to rediscover the lost joy in their own lives, it’s the declaration of a woman whose eyes were finally opened to the little miracles all around her, despite the hardships she faced. Feinberg was kind enough to talk to Guideposts.org about why she chose to write the book and how she found joy even in the darkest of times.

Guideposts.org: Why a book on joy?

Margaret Feinberg: Almost three years ago, I came to a place in my life where I longed for more joy. I had heard the mantra “choose joy” and grown up with religious teachings that happiness is based on circumstance but joy is not. I determined it was time to pursue a joy-filled life. I decided to go on a quest to engage in practices that might nurture joy. The next year was spent looking for ways to pursue and activate joy through disciplines like watching my words, changing my attitude, and practicing gratitude.

Two weeks before I was supposed to turn in the manuscript to the publisher, I received the cancer diagnosis. I had been scouting for joy in the relatively good times of life, now I had to scour for it in the midst of darkness, depression, and torturous pain. No one signs up for that assignment. No one.

Through the process, I’ve discovered a breadth, depth, and power of joy—that despite hundreds of sermons and many decades in the church—no one had told me of before. Against all odds, I’ve found my capacity for joy expanding, and I’ve discovered something quite startling: joy is far more than I ever thought or have been taught. It’s a more dynamic, forceful weapon than most of us realize. When we fight back with joy, we lean into the very presence of God—the one who fills us with joy, even on our most deflated todays.

How did your battle with cancer influence you writing the book?

Cancer ruined my first book on joy. I tossed the manuscript away and began relooking at the more than 400 references to joy, happiness, delight, merriment, and more throughout the Bible. My lens of life had shifted dramatically, and now I began to see these passages in a whole new way. I learned to practice a defiant joy—the declaration that the darkness has not and will not win.

Get hope for Breast Cancer here

What are some things that bring joy in your own life?

Though God surrounds us with opportunities to experience joy, too often we sleep straight through. For me, joy crouches beside my bed as I offer my evening prayers. Joy beckons at sunrise and sunset, on afternoon walks and evening drives. Joy nestles on the couch as we open our homes to strangers, neighbors, and friends. Joy waits in our laughter and even our tears, our thank yous, and I love yous. We do not have to remain asleep to the joy all around. We can awake, toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and seize the fullness of life that God intended for us. We can live alert to good gifts of God all around.

How can others go about finding joy in their lives, even in the difficult times?

We need to be intentional about pursuing and activating joy during the smooth times of life. Don’t wait for crisis to put your dancing shoes on. Learn to practice thankfulness, throw mini-parties, and surprise people with kindness during uneventful times in life. Be intentional about nurturing joy by spending time with friends who leave you laughing so hard that the tears fall (in a variety of places!). Sing in the shower. Car dance during your commute. Sidle up to nieces and nephews, children and grandchildren. Most kids are bubbling with joy and can’t wait to share.

In the more difficult times, we need to practice a defiant joy. I did this in many ways. I remember having to go to the hospital knowing the next treatment was going to hurt more than the last. It was more than I could bear.

I found great comfort in the practice of keriah or the ripping of one’s clothing before a Jewish funeral. Some days I would go into my darkened bedroom, put on a blouse, and recite, “Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, the Judge of truth” based on the book of Job. Then I would rip the shirt. This provided a sanctioned expression of pain, anger, and deep grief. It dislodged roadblocks in my communication with God. A blockage to him was replaced with a newfound tenderness. In this prayer, in this act, I had, somehow, become more honest than ever with my pain and anger. My garment rent, I’d sit half-naked in the darkness, mended in some mysterious way.

What do you say to the person who might tell you, “I’ve tried all the tricks and I’m still not joyful. I just can’t get there?” Is joy really something you can conjure up?

I’d say your definition of joy is too narrow. So often the definitions of joy we hear make it elusive and just out of grasp. Joy is the sacred jingle of God within us. Such joy emanates out of the abiding sense that we are fiercely loved by God. Joy includes a spectrum of emotions, actions, and responses. Sometimes you feel like a joy, sometimes you don’t. But you can act in joy, respond in joy, move in joy even when feelings don’t line up perfectly. Throughout the Fight Back with Joy book and Bible study, I provide dozens of tactics from learning to rejoice when it makes no sense to how to throw the best party ever—even in the midst of horrible circumstances.

Your father was diagnosed with cancer around the same time you were, how did you remain positive and determined during that time?

About 100 days after I was diagnosed with cancer, my dad was diagnosed with cancer too. For months, I rode with him to radiation while he sat at the foot of my bed watching chemotherapy pumped into the veins. My mom had to watch her husband of 46 years and only daughter fight cancer side-by-side. Some days it just seemed like too much. But in my weakest moments, there’d be this scrappy sense of, “How can I fight back with joy in this?” Sometimes I’d nestle next to my dad and watch a comedy. Other days we’d take a walk together. We shared meals. We talked.

But do you know what happened? During those months, we had the sweetest moments, the most tender conversations. I heard my dad say, “I love you” more during those precious months than in my entire life. Today, he is doing much better and our relationship is more connected than ever.

What would you say to people who have family members or friends battling illness who might not know what to do or say to bring them joy?

You may feel ill-prepared and unequipped to enter into someone’s crisis. You tell yourself you don’t know the person that well. You count up the months and years since you lost touch. It feels strange, even foreign, to reach out now. You may even second-guess if it’s appropriate. What will the person or their family think? The reasons to remain silent pile high until you reach the ultimate:“I don’t know what to say.” Saying nothing seems better than saying the wrong thing. Or is it?

Just as your silence is one of the worst things you can give to someone facing hardship, your presence is one of the most meaningful, powerful things you can give. Remember that the person going through crisis or illness doesn’t need any pat answers, empty promises that they’ll “be fine,” or medical advice. They need you to be with them and for them.

Simply say, “Tell me what you need.” If they draw a blank face, let them know you have three ideas in mind. A gift certificate to their favorite restaurant. A night of babysitting. A free getaway to your family’s cabin. A pair of movie tickets. An afternoon of yard work. Remember that the needs of a person who is ill or in crisis are changing around the clock. So if you can come equipped with several unique suggestions (other than bringing over a meal), it can make a huge difference.

Are there any scriptures or stories from the Bible that really resonate with you and your joy mantra?

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat finds himself surrounded by multiple armies and cries out to God. Verse 21 says, “Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness.”As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes, and their enemies were defeated. The Hebrew word for sing, rinnah, means “let out a ringing cry of joy.” They rejoiced. They literally took joy with them. They never stepped onto that battlefield empty-handed. And we don’t have to either. More than whimsy, joy is the weapon that we use to fight life’s battles. That’s why I wrote the book and Bible study, Fight Back With Joy.

Because if we’re honest, all of us are in a fight. Sometimes you pick the fight. Sometimes the fight picks you. Our struggles may differ, but no one escapes life unscathed. I know firsthand what it’s like to be on the battlefield.