[carry me]

Pain is a forest we all get lost in
Between the branches hope can be so hard to see
And in the darkness we've all got questions
We're all just trying to make sense out of suffering but

You say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, You'll carry me
Help me believe it

Fear is a current we all get caught in
And in its motion faith can be so hard to find
And we all falter 'cause we're all broken
We're all just trying to turn the shadows into light but

You get glory in the midst of this
And You're walking with me
And you say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, You'll carry me

And I know Your promises are faithful
And God, I've seen Your goodness in my life
And oh, I've found Your mercy is a river
Your love is an ocean wide

You say I am blessed because of this
You get glory in the midst of this
And You're walking with me

And You say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, as I carry this cross
'Cause as I carry this cross, You'll carry me

You'll carry me, God
You'll carry me
And Your love is an ocean wide

Audrey Assad

[blur]

"It feels right to me that life must have a balance; 

that good times and hard times are meticulously measured out. 

For it is only in the blend of both that we grow... 

that wholeness comes, that we know how to laugh with others and how to cry. 

Substance in the human heart is built... nurtured... 

so much more by pain and failure and disappointment

 than by happiness and joy. 

Yet God, in infinite wisdom, 

understands what our limits are 

and never tries us more than we can handle." 

Ann Kiemel Anderson

Blessings

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we'd have faith to believe

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Laura Story

The Definition of Me

If my name were to appear in the dictionary, what would the definition say?

At times, it would say...Redbook or Glamour shows me how to dress up what she's got or accessorize what she is not. The whole point is for her to look better, feel better about how she looks and wonder why in the world she can't look like the gal on the page.

I'm not proud of that.

At other times, the definition of me would include the opinions of those who I've loved and lost. Those I have hurt and have hurt me. Those whom I have judged and those who judge me. I'm glad that they didn't include a picture beside my name. It wouldn't be pretty.

Maybe my definition would have to be written in erasable ink...because it seems to change with the season. And some days, it changes by the circumstance.

If I feel loved...my definition is words, well woven together to produce a strong perception.

If I feel condemned...the words cower in the corner and do their best to apologize away my mistake.

If I feel insecure...my words try to hide behind.

I struggle daily to listen to the still, small voice that tells me who I am. But, honestly, the others scream louder.

So, I am trying to spend more silent time...
learning in to hear the real definition of me.

[written by my friend, Karol]