Life is no holiday game, nor a clever book, nor a school of instruction, nor a valley of tears, but it is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principles of evil hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way must be disputed.
The idea that the poor should have leisure has always been shocking to the rich. In the early nineteenth century, fifteen hours was the ordinary day's work for a man; children sometimes did as much, and very commonly did twelve hours a day. When meddlesome busybodies...
Remember, Advent is all about anticipation. It is about recognizing our need for a Savior, longing for that Savior, and joyfully welcoming that Savior. It can be tough to recreate this anticipatory tension when the busyness of the holidays pushes us into go-mode and...
We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough, and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will...