Danielle Klafter
Reflections on writing, life, and contemplative spirituality
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In The Awakened Heart, Gerald G. May writes, “I think most people have trouble with prayer because prayer is really an act of love, and therefore demands vulnerability. As with the love, the more we try to control prayer, the less prayer can happen.
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At the root of asking, Why do bad things happen? is a much deeper, dangerous question: Does God love me? Personally, I think the challenge is to answer the second question without always getting a clear answer to the first. Suffering is a mystery. Learn to hold the mystery. Work to accept that you aren’t…
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Doubt is not a sign of weakness or something to be ashamed of. It’s not an omen of the death of your faith. It’s an invitation to open and trust. It’s an opportunity to acknowledge that you are part of a mystery that is so large and breathtaking that it will take more than a…
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I don’t believe in the infallibility of scripture anymore. Depending on who you are, I’m aware reading that statement may have just caused you an incredible amount of anxiety or defensiveness. That’s okay. I’d encourage you to take a deep breath. I’m not here to attack you. Give me a chance to explain. I believe…
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Expectations often work as demands, while hope is willing to suffer through the messiness of life and disappointments without giving up. Expectations clench things tightly in a fist, while hope holds hands open, willing to surrender.
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I’m a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). It’s a type of neurodiversity. It’s not an official psychological diagnosis yet like ADHD. But my husband has a mild version of ADHD and I mentally frame the needs of our brains and nervous systems on opposite ends of a similar spectrum. He needs more stimulus to focus and…
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I once knowingly got engaged to a man who had formerly slept with prostitutes. Writing those words and seeing them on the page now fills me with horror. What?! I can’t believe I did that. But at the time, I was convinced I was following a good path. How did I get there? I’ve spent…
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“It is not your job to form your children.” My spiritual director spoke those words to me in the middle of our last session. They sank deep and far. I teared up and had to breathe deep. My eldest daughter is a spirited creature. She is extroverted and loves life. We are such a wiring…
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I’m not going to lie. I was tempted to skip this one. I’ve heard and read this story countless times. It’s extremely familiar. I wanted something new. Something more interesting. But I made myself stay in the reading and see what might open.
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I recently read Sarah Bessey’s book, Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women. This book was published in 2013, so I’m about a decade behind in getting around to this one. I put it off for a long time because I was intimidated by that word “feminist.” Feminist can mean a…
- Abundance ≠ Comfort
- Roots
- I’m a messy, struggling human being who wants to be more enlightened than she actually is
- Thin Places: Death and Life Intermingled
- Crabapples
I read my blog aloud as a podcast:
Danielle Klafter 