Kate Motaung

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 If you’ve ever had to do a chore or errand you didn’t find particularly pleasant, you probably know that the experience feels interminable. When you go into something expecting it to be bad, it can feel like it’s going on forever. Trips to the DMV, the grocery store, or an unpleasant conversation with an unpleasant character

Our society is marked by busyness. Bursting schedules and activity-packed days squeeze out essential time for rest and rejuvenation. What suffers? Our sleep, peace, and healthy connections with God, self, and others ultimately pay. The high cost of loss mounts in our attempts to keep pace with the bustling world around us and can result in anxiety. We sometimes succumb to the lure of multi-tasking, trying to recoup losses. Doing too much in too little time yields the opposite

It can be difficult to know what our “best” looks like in the workforce. It can be so easy to compare ourselves to those around us and set a standard based on what someone next to us is doing. The truth is that our professional development goals should be based on God’s Word rather than what someone in the cubicle next to us is doing. The reality is: You will work around people you do not always agree with.

Anxiety and panic attacks have certain similarities, but they are two different conditions. How can you tell which is which? The main differences between them are the way they present themselves at their onset and the intensity, severity, and duration of the symptoms. The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) describes a panic attack as “a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause.” It does

Conversations around anxiousness and stress management are becoming more and more common in our society’s public dialogue. From A-list celebrities talking openly about their mental health struggles, to friends and family admitting how hard it has been to get back to normal after the isolation of early-COVID quarantine, people of every class and creed seem to be experiencing greater feelings of social anxiety and fear than they have before. Many mental and emotional health conditions have been exacerbated by

Are you feeling depressed? Everyone feels depressed from time to time. Whether you’re dealing with situational depression (perhaps you got passed over for a promotion you worked hard for or caring for an ailing parent) or seasonal affective disorder, or chronic depression, depression hits everyone. God knows what you’re going through, God is ready to listen and to comfort you, and God provides resources to help you when you need it. Below are six Bible verses you can meditate

As a parent, watching your children suffer is one of the worst forms of heartache. Whether it is the common cold, a bump on the head, or deep issues of growing up and navigating the world, parents want to soothe the sickness and relieve the pain. When your child struggles with bad dreams and anxiety, you will feel stress creep into your own life. 4 Ways to Help Children with Anxiety and Nightmares Here are four ideas you can

When someone hurts us, and their words and actions ring in our ears and minds causing wounds to deepen and fester, it can seem all but impossible to extend forgiveness and mercy. To forgive, by definition, means to stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake. As followers of Jesus, we are called to forgive just as Christ chose to forgive us. We are the most like God when we choose to forgive others.

Children, at times, may experience depression. However, unlike adults, they likely have not developed the insight to identify when they experience depression-related symptoms, the vocabulary to explain how they are feeling or the insight into how their behavior toward others may impact their relationships. Parents may notice a change in their child’s demeanor, behavior, or ability to tolerate stress. Luckily for children, they may be blessed with resourceful parents that are looking to better understand changes in their child

If you are recently engaged, there is a high chance your head is spinning with excitement at the prospect of marrying the person you love most in the world and premarital counseling may be the farthest thing from your mind. You may be neck-high in bridal magazines, potential venues, guest lists, registries, and honeymoon planning. What an exciting time of life this is for so many soon-to-be brides and grooms. When a person becomes engaged to someone they love,

God has masterfully designed rhythms for all of life. A quick flip through Genesis' initial chapters unearths the flow of rest and activity for life in concert with our Creator. Genesis offers practical insight for synchronizing one's daily pulse with the One who originated the beginning, with the rhythm of His own voice, declaring, "Let there be light!" In Eden, God established rhythms for worship, work, relationship, and rest. Through His example and the picture of Adam and Eve’s

As a counselor, I find one of the most common complaints that people bring to my office that of some form of anxiety. In recent years, the collective anxiety of our culture has dramatically increased. The presence of COVID-19 and political discord along with the accelerant of social media has made it so that our minds rarely have respite from a barrage of information. Rarely helpful, this information overload has caused many to experience anxiety in one form or