Author: sarahcoppin

The only reason why we ever continue to do anything in life is because we have hope. We plant gardens because we have hope that they will grow. We apply for jobs because we have hope that we will receive an offer. We press on through shitty situations and resist the temptation to give up […]

One of the benefits of being chronically unwell is that you have no energy for bullsh*t, and that seems to reflect well in one’s prayer life. There is no energy left to come up with theologically sound prayers that are flouncy in nature and well thought through. You just say what you mean and hope […]

Originally posted on underwhosewings:
Around a year ago, I began a Quest. Admittedly, it was not as exciting as the Chaucerian or Middle-Earth variety, but it was still a long journey that I would, in an ideal world, not have needed to make. My Quest was facing up to the fact that I was, chronically…

Last week I was diagnosed with a lifelong autoimmune disease. I’ve certainly endured physical and mental suffering before, but for some reason this has made me feel excruciatingly far from the Lord. Never before have I so resonated with the words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What strikes me right now […]

Do you ever get that wistful feeling that things were better before now? We often think that here and now is just so bad and if we simply returned to the “good old days” then life would be better again. Nostalgia is basically that sentimental (and often unrealistic) longing for a particular time in the […]

It should hopefully go without saying that followers of Jesus are called to be involved in their local communities, and that this will inevitably be political in some way. Since we are called to love our neighbours, it follows that this will involve some kind of engagement with public life. The question therefore, is what […]

I hate dating. It’s superficial, it’s awkward, and it’s weird. People are never themselves, even if they try. But the thing I hate most about the whole experience is that we treat each other like objects to consume rather than people to love. We have literally devalued the other person by forgetting their humanity. But […]

I know a lot of people are struggling with self-isolation, but I must confess, this has been a wonderful time of growth for me. Generally people think of staying put as boring and mundane, and they fantasise about hitting the road (or the airport) and leaving everything behind for a life of travel. They equate […]

About a year and a half ago, I asked the Lord for an unusual News Years gift. “Lord,” I prayed, “please can you make this coming year really really boring?” He did, and it was excellent. Almost everything in my life had become far too complex, and I had developed some very serious anxiety. I knew […]