100 Words

You Have Not Because You Ask Not

April 25th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Ask and it will be given to you...
Matthew 7:7 (ESV)

In September, my husband registered for the April Boston Marathon. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Then, he sprained his ankle. His knee gave out next, and shots weren’t as helpful as hoped. Finally, his hip became painful.

In the Fall, I re-injured my knee. My orthopedist scheduled surgery and said I would recover enough for Boston. I didn’t.

As the date approached, we wondered how it would turn out. One night I suggested, “Let’s pray we have the Best Boston Marathon Ever.”

We adjusted. We substituted Uber for the subway and walking. We skipped activities to rest in our hotel. We soaked in Epsom salts. After the race, we agreed it was the Best Boston Marathon Ever.

It was the only time I was along the Boston course when my husband ran by. I shared the experience with my friend Ella, who assisted me to the area.

My husband ran stronger and with more joy than he had during previous marathons.

When I recounted our answered prayers to my friend Katie, she quoted, “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2) A good reminder.

Decisions, Relationships

Planning Ahead

April 18th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring …
James 4: 13-14a

I’m an economist, so I know profits are unpredictable. I don’t depend on economic certainty. However, I wish I had known that as my peers and I age, too much becomes unpredictable. Right now, I have unkept promises to others. You know who you are. Please know you are not forgotten..

I have outstanding invitations to my home. Crises intervened, and when the dust settled, I found myself exhausted. Both an excuse and a reality.

Repeatedly, I announced “This is the year of Christmas card.” It didn’t happen for five years. During that time, two friends passed and three sold their homes, so cards were returned undelivered.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:34 (ESV)

Do not be anxious is familiar. What I’m learning along the way is Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

God's Faithfulness

Health, Not Condemnation

April 11th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

To the church in Sardis… I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.
Revelation 3: 1-2 (ESV)

I found the admonitions in Revelation harsh and discouraging. However, God gave me a different perspective after knee surgery. Based on friends’ experiences, and on the fact that I swam, biked, and walked my neighborhood with steep hills, I anticipated a manageable recovery. I was wrong. For days, my pain was overwhelming.

My physical fitness was not “complete.” Basic, simple exercises were hard. My physical therapist told me I had weak ankles, which were causing other problems. She assigned specific exercises.

Instead of being discouraged, I was grateful to know my deficiencies. I could work toward health. And I saw that was what God was doing when He gave seven churches their “fitness assessment” in Revelation. His goal was to bring spiritual health. He assigned them exercises.

Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it and repent…
Revelation 3:3a (ESV)

Book Recommendations, Parenting, Relationships

A Fresh Start: Gordon Korman

April 4th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

Gordon Korman is one of my favorite authors. I binge read his books after I discovered them. (See here and here.) My friend Barb recently reminded me of my favorites, The Unteachables and Restart.

In the aftermath of celebrating Easter, The Unteachables and Restart would be good family read alouds for those ten and older. While not explicitly Christian, they explore two good questions: What does it mean to forgive and be forgiven? What does it mean to have the opportunity to start a new life?

In The Unteachables, teacher Zachery Kermit was shunned and relegated to the worst classrooms after an eighth-grader’s folly. Twenty-seven years later, Mr. Kermit’s former student repents, seeks to make amends, and be forgiven. His teacher resists while simultaneously helping his current students rise above injustices done to them.

In Restart, Chase has amnesia after falling off a roof. Why is his stepsister afraid of him. Why do classmates avoid him? As Chase’s memory returns, he is appalled he was a bully and wants to change.

Although the themes are serious, the creative plots and memorable characters entertain and lead to great discussions. Can we forgive the deep hurts inflicted on us and by us?

God's Faithfulness, Relationships

Relationship Scorekeeping

March 28th, 2026
Mollie T. Cox

I know someone who keeps score in her relationships. You only get one strike before you are out unless you have money or connections. She not only admits it, but she also believes it is right. I’m in her circle right now, but I know my position stays precarious because her standards are high—standards she can’t even meet.

Thankfully, God deals in grace rather than points.

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Romans 11:6 (ESV)

If God set standards he couldn’t meet, I would not only be irritated but also angry. Like immutability and truthfulness (see here and here), I didn’t fully appreciate God’s perfection in meeting his own standards—and giving me grace when I didn’t meet them—until I experienced the antithesis. I may not always be learning more along the way, but what I have already learned keeps going deeper.

The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV)