when suffering is like getting a tattoo [a story of Hope in the Hard]

Welcome to this space for sacred storytelling. Each week, we’ll be exploring what it looks like to walk in the darkness from someone who is in the thick of it. Today our story of Hope in the Hard comes from an interview with my friend, Sarah. What Hard has this season held for you? This hard season…

Hope in the Hard.

I listened to my friend speak about her longing, how she felt almost crushed by the weight of so much Hard. As she spoke, I couldn’t help but note the way she was holding tight to hope. She was fighting for goodness and seeking the Lord, even as the storm threatened to drown her. Her…

why we need a broken heart.

I almost scrolled past it. Even when I talk about people in need and want to do something for them, even in the midst of good intentions and brave words, it is so easy to miss the pain and heartache of another. A friend posted pictures of relief being given in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew….

for when our hearts and our world is hurting.

Today, my soul is grieved and weary and hurt. For my own Hard and the toil it has had in recent days. For our country’s Hard and the violence, the blaming and the uncertainty. For our world’s Hard and the suffering and injustice. Over the past year, there have been moments where the Lord has…

both/and.

I sobbed to my husband that it felt like birds were building a nest in my head and I didn’t know how to stop them. He let me cry and held me, before asking, “What does that even mean?” Laughing through my tears was the best medicine, as I told him about what Sally Lloyd-Jones…