that from so many tears, joy would bloom? that from such deep heartache, I would know love better, more intimately, than others who have been spared? that my children would see their mommy get out of bed, shed her grave clothes, and take on another day?
I’ll tell you how.
Jesus.
He promised me back when I was thirteen and feeling the all-familiar ache of never being chosen, that I was His number one.
He showed me, in the margins of my grandmother’s Bible, that only His truth would stand forever.
He led me to the grave of my love, after everyone else had gone and many would never return again, and He took my hand and said, “We can stay as long as you need.”
It’s only because I am living His story of faithfulness that I can say this is how. It’s only because He has carried me here that I can say it’s true, the still waters are real, the green pastures are there. He wasn’t lying when He said the world is full of trials and tribulations. But He also wasn’t lying when He said He overcame it.
Hold on, beloved. This isn’t the end. He’s telling you the truth.
a scribble of jo 