Sleeplessness at 3 a.m. / Resting in Him
Nagging physical pain / The promise of healing
Swirling vortex of hopeless emotions / The anchor that is Jesus
Realizing that people would rather talk about me than to me / Talking to my Heavenly Father
Feeling rejected and abandoned / My husband's hand taking mine
Dark, heavy thoughts / Sitting in the sunshine of the garden
Waiting so very long for a restoration that doesn't come / My King's scepter held out to me
Absolute, irrational panic / Being led beside still waters
Thinking I could be dead and not missed / Knowing I would be immediately welcomed Home
Being desperately Homesick / Deciding to stay and walk it out
The lie of hopelessness / The truth of the hope in glory
Inner emptiness / The first bloom of spring
Bone-deep weariness / Christ's yoke
Loneliness / The dog that insists on being petted
Sadness / My sons' contagious laughter
Feeling useless / Creating something from nothing
Losing my way / A poem in my dreams -
Stay in faith
Hold down the fort
Expect to hear a good report
Raging, roaring lions / The blood of Christ to hold them at bay
Feeling like an utter failure / Talking to my sons and knowing they are becoming fine men
Insecurity / Watching sparrows eating at the feeders and being reminded that my Lord cares
Emotional pain and bondage / Gratitude that I have never known desperate hardship
Missing loved ones who have passed on / Looking forward to eternity in their company
Anxiety / The calm purr of a cat on my lap
Ostracized / An unconditional embrace
The pressure of situations closing in around me / A deep breath
Being disregarded by people who once called me valuable / Being accepted in the Beloved
Overwhelming chaos in my thoughts / God's still voice
Captivity / The wind in my face
Fear / Unconditional, eternal love
Mountains of doubt / A seed of faith
Embarrassment and shame / The sea of forgetfulness
The dark night of the soul / The joy that comes in the morning
The possibility that no one will ever read this / Writing it anyway
