How can I overcome the sadness I feel since my husband died?
Life Changes Q&As
Why should I go to college? The way I see it, college isn’t shaping the next generation into productive adults and leaders, and it doesn’t help individual students achieve their personal goals. Why bury yourself in debt just because everyone else expects you to pursue “higher education”? Why waste several years of your life earning …
Could my struggle with bulimia and anorexia stem from a lack of understanding of my identity in Christ? A friend recently suggested this possibility, and I’m not sure what to think of it. I’ve been struggling with eating disorders ever since I was a teenager, but I never considered it a spiritual problem. Does my …
Do you have any assistance to offer to someone who seriously wants to stop drinking? Where do I find the professional help I need? I’m desperate to overcome my problem with alcohol, but hard experience has convinced me that I can’t beat this addiction on my own. Now my wife is threatening to take our …
How can I love and care for my elderly mother when we live on opposite sides of the country? My dad died several years ago, and my mom has been in decline ever since. Fortunately, two of my siblings still live within twenty minutes of her home, so I don’t worry about her needs being …
Is it normal to experience deep grief after the unexpected termination of a pregnancy? I recently lost my first child through miscarriage, and my husband and I are surprised at how devastating this experience has been for us. Is this typical?
What are your thoughts on the merits of medical marijuana? Do you think it should be legalized? My newspaper has run a series of stories recently about its supposed benefits. I really don’t know what to think. Can you help me sort this out?
How can I help a friend who was recently raped? So far, I’m the only person she’s told. She’s paralyzed with feelings of shame and guilt. She’s also afraid that she’ll only make a bad situation worse if she reports the incident or goes to the police. What should I do?
Why is it important to identify specific financial objectives? How does this fit in with what Jesus said about letting tomorrow “worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34)? If I make plans and set monetary goals of my own, doesn’t this rule out the necessity of trusting God on a day-by-day basis?
Should we keep tithing to our church while trying to pay off debts? My husband and I are on a tight budget and trying our best to pay off a large backlog of debt that has been building over the past several years. Would it be better to put our giving on hold until we’ve …
Can you help me understand whether I have a serious problem with alcohol? Here’s my situation. I’m a hassled and harried mother of three young children. After school, I pick up my kids and go to the market, where I have to rush to grab a few things and get out of the store before …
Should we be considering the possibility of taking my aging mother into our home while we’re still in the process of raising three kids? We have two teens and a middle-schooler. We don’t really like the idea of placing my mom in a nursing home, but we also don’t want to alter family dynamics too …
Can you help me cope with the practical, day-to-day aspects of my spouse’s death? I’m already seeing a therapist, and close friends are helping me work through the grief. Where I really need some guidance is in the area of business details, daily responsibilities, house repairs, car maintenance, paying bills – that sort of thing. …
Are non-believers more likely than believers to commit suicide? I’m asking because our son walked away from his faith soon after starting college. Lately he has become increasingly moody and withdrawn. Is he at risk for suicide? What’s the relationship between a young person’s faith or worldview and his outlook on life?
How do I keep my job from eating up my time and energy to the point where I have nothing left to give my family? I’m a high-level executive with a large corporation, and my struggle to balance work and family is made worse by the fact that business concerns tend to dominate my mind …
What should I do if I fear that my aging father may not be eating right? My mother died a few years ago and Dad has been living alone ever since. Though his health is poor, he has declined several invitations to come and live with us. He’s also completely unwilling to consider the option …
How can I tell if my husband’s recreational gambling is becoming a serious addiction? At first it was just an occasional poker game with his buddies, but a few months ago he exchanged this activity for weekly outings to a casino. Twice in the last month he has called in “sick” so he could make …
How do I say “no” to someone in my family who has been forcing me to engage in sexual acts? I can hardly bear to think about this! I feel ugly, dirty, worthless, wretched, and used. I don’t want this to continue, but I’m afraid to tell anyone what’s going on, and without help there’s …
How do I go about locating and selecting a good financial advisor?
How can we communicate and keep up a meaningful heart-to-heart connection with my aging mother as her mental condition deteriorates? She’s past eighty now, and symptoms of dementia are becoming more and more pronounced in her behavior. Her short-term memory is so poor that she can’t remember what she said to me ten minutes ago. …
