perseverance – Page 11 – Melissa Schlies

The Courage to Stay

“We want life to have meaning, we want fulfillment, healing, and even ecstasy, but the human paradox is that we find these things by starting where we are, not where we wish we were.” —Kathleen Norris, Quotidian Mysteries Back when things were really bad, when I felt suffocated by all that my life was and all that it wasn’t, I made a plan to escape. I packed my bags and boarded a plane that took me to the other side of the country, where my aunt and friends welcomed me with open arms. I interviewed at a grad school there—because nothing [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-18T20:19:52+00:00July 10th, 2017|Categories: Courage, Health, perseverance|Comments Off

Learn: How I Survived the Death of a Dream

When a dream dies, we can feel like failures. In some situations, there is a sting of rejection that is paralyzing. Add all of this to our broken hearts, and it can feel as if the world is ending. Only, it isn’t. And though everything seems to be screaming to us otherwise, our lives aren’t ending either. We must keep going in the midst of sometimes, unimaginable pain. We need to figure out a way to keep on living that involves more than binging on Netflix and eating carbs—but how? A little over five years ago, one of my dreams [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T15:51:58+00:00June 1st, 2017|Categories: Failure, grief, Hope, Identity, Learn, Love Learn Lead, perseverance|Comments Off

Between Me And You

I was just waking up. I had fallen a sleep as my husband drove us out of Connemara National Park, just north of Galway, Ireland. We now were on a narrow road, shadowed by leafy green trees. My husband had his music playing (I say his because I hadn’t heard of the artist before), and when he saw I was up he asked me if I was feeling better. I had felt a little car sick earlier. I groggily told him that I thought I was better, and then this song came on. It was what I now know as [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T15:53:30+00:00May 29th, 2017|Categories: Failure, grief, Hope, perseverance|Comments Off

Learn: What Makes You Come Alive?

“Our talents are our birthright gifts, the gifts that make our hearts sing, come alive.” —Rebecca Lyons, You are Free When was the last time you felt alive? When did you last feel your heart beating with excitement in your chest?—When you felt more awake than you do on a Venti Caramel Macchiato with an extra shot? Or, when whatever made you feel this way, had you smiling for days? Have you ever felt like this? No, I am not talking about falling in love—or at least, about falling in love with a person. I am asking about the last [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T20:12:29+00:00May 11th, 2017|Categories: Identity, Learn, Love Learn Lead, perseverance|Comments Off

What I am Learning About Healing

Often, when we or someone we know is sick or hurting, we can’t help but ask: If God can heal me/them, why doesn’t He? On Monday, I shared that I struggle with an ailment that there seems to be no definitive cure or treatment for in our medical world. On my long journey to even get a diagnosis, we have prayed many prayers, asking God to heal me the way my doctors couldn’t seem to. Through all of this, I have wondered what God’s purposes are by not healing me, even when I believe that He can. However, this is [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T20:28:06+00:00April 20th, 2017|Categories: Faith, Health, Hope, Learn, Love Learn Lead, perseverance|Comments Off

He Sees You

Very often, people say they don’t believe in God because there is no proof; they say that they can’t see Him so He can’t exist. Lately though, I have been wondering if the problem is not that they can’t see Him, but rather that they feel as if He can't see them. One grey morning, I drove north, up the interstate. At first, I thought I was going to be late—that I hadn’t left early enough to beat the morning traffic, and so all I could focus on was the road. Then, as I drove around the city, I could [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T20:29:47+00:00April 17th, 2017|Categories: Faith, Health, Hope, perseverance, Waiting|Comments Off

Hope Hangs Above our Kitchen Sink

Whenever you go on a long journey, there are things you need to take with you, to make it to your destination. At the bare minimum, this usually means food and water. The time my husband and I hiked Mount Katahdin in Maine, with some friends, we filled our packs with trail mix, cliff bars, multiple water bottles, and PB&J sandwiches. When we did a road trip through Northern Ireland, we made stops for gluten free crackers, smoked salmon, and hot tea. Any trip worth taking requires supplies. But not all journeys are outward and physical. Some of the longest [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T20:38:58+00:00March 27th, 2017|Categories: Character, Hope, perseverance|Comments Off

The Courage to Stay

Learn: How I Survived the Death of a Dream

Between Me And You

Learn: What Makes You Come Alive?

What I am Learning About Healing

He Sees You

Hope Hangs Above our Kitchen Sink

ABOUT ME

RECENT POSTS