The ongoing coronavirus epidemic and the resulting lockdowns have placed us under new pressures and brought new qualities to light. The quality I’d like to discuss today is fortitude. The entire Book of Job is a lesson in fortitude. It seems extremely relevant today, with many suffering from health issues and questioning their faith. Fortitude […]

When we’re caught in the middle of an emotional crisis, under incredible pressure yet simultaneously trapped, the question arises: what do I do? Which tool in the emotional toolbox do I turn to? The answer is vulnerability. In our patriarchal society, we confuse vulnerability with weakness. The Old Testament has a particular negative view of […]

In the last article in this series we looked at courage. In this one we’re examining surrender. While surrender might seem to be the direct opposite of courage, it’s actually a powerful tool in its own right. The very word ‘surrender’ has several negative connotations: losing a fight, lacking the ability to impose ourselves on […]

We live in a world that recognises and respects courage: the military hero, the policewoman who dies in the line of duty, the fireman who dashes into a burning building and emerges with a child in his arms. We are familiar with this kind of bravery as a result of our long patriarchal past. This […]

Chapter 1 of Genesis tells us we are made in God’s image. That means seeing through God’s eyes, in theory, at least. Here’s 1 Samuel: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7 ESV) Although we are made in […]