Category: Christianity

A Healthy Heart

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 ESV)

February is American Heart Month. I’ve long been aware of the heart problems that run in my family. My grandma had a heart attack and bypass surgery when I was fourteen, and my grandpa followed with quadruple bypass surgery a few years after that. Almost all my mom’s siblings have (or had) high blood pressure, stents, or other heart issues.

In late 2024, my family history caught up with me, and I joined the high blood pressure club. As I’ve written about before, I had gone to the doctor for a regular checkup, and everything was fine. Then two weeks later, I had a dizzy spell, my blood pressure spiked, and it didn’t come down for three days, resulting in a trip to the ER and a follow up with my doctor. After numerous tests to determine if there was an underlying cause, and then a referral to a cardiologist, the cardiologist determined that there was no underlying cause, just a long family history of hypertension. Continue reading “A Healthy Heart” →

Returning to Our First Love

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“I [The Lord] have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Valentine’s Day is upon us once again, and Cupid’s arrows are flying! This holiday is celebrated by those in love (and by those who love romance) and spurned by those who are single. However, in recent years, I’ve seen a rise in Galentine’s Day events, and I even coordinated one myself last year, to celebrate some of the wonderful women in my life. I applaud all those who have decided not to let Valentine’s Day define them by their relationship status.

For many years, I did not enjoy Valentine’s Day. Even when I was married, it was not a holiday I looked forward to due to the pressure that I put on myself—to find the perfect gift that expressed my love, to arrange a nice dinner out (knowing there would be a crowd, and I don’t like crowds), or to prepare a lovely dinner at home—an exhausting undertaking. As a single person, the pressure has disappeared, but reminders of my singleness are everywhere this time of year. Continue reading “Returning to Our First Love” →

Counting My Days

Posted on by Staci Mauney

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” (Psalm 39:4)

Birthdays are cause for great celebration, and as I get older, I’ve noticed that I reflect more on my life and where I am at any given time. Birthdays mark milestones—when we’re young, we pass from childhood to teenage years to adulthood. Milestones don’t stop there, as we celebrate our entry into a new decade at each turn—30, 40, 50, then 65, 70, and so on, if we live long enough.

I celebrated my birthday last week, and while I’ll soon close out my forties, I’m still a couple of years away from entering that fifth decade of my life. (How has time gone by so fast?) I’ve accomplished many things, but I’m now at an age where I know certain things will not happen for me. Continue reading “Counting My Days” →

A Limp and a Prayer

Posted on by Staci Mauney

Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)

The past year has been rough on my health. Last September, my blood pressure, which had always been normal, suddenly spiked after a dizzy spell and didn’t go down for three days, prompting only my second ever trip to the ER. While in the ER, my blood pressure went up to 164/117—definitely scary territory, especially because I didn’t feel any differently. Months of appointments and tests followed that trip to the ER—appointments and tests that didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. Eventually, I was referred to a cardiologist who determined that my family history, rather than an underlying issue, had caught up with me. The good news is that with medication, my blood pressure is back under control. The bad news is that the medication zaps my energy and took months to adjust to, and there are still days that I struggle.

Continue reading “A Limp and a Prayer” →

Psalm 121: Lifting My Spirits with Praise

Posted on by Staci Mauney

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)

I don’t remember when I first read Psalm 121. I was probably a teenager, reading through the Book of Psalms for the first time. The psalms have always brought comfort, especially as I learned the meaning behind many of them. They are full of emotion, praise, hope, lament, requests for vengeance, and longing for a better tomorrow. Continue reading “Psalm 121: Lifting My Spirits with Praise” →