Are you brave again?

Stephanie, 31

[king-atlas]

O, thou Father of my spirit, thou King of my life, cast me not into destruction, drive me not from Thy presence, but wound my heart that it may be healed; break it that Thine own hand may make it whole.

— "The Cry of a Convicted Sinner", from The Valley of Vision

[kocyigitcag]

[metamorphesque]

"The Fellowship of the Ring", J.R.R. Tolkien

[fromtheabundance]

Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter my heart, three-person'd God

BY JOHN DONNE

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend; That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. I, like an usurp'd town to another due, Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end; Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue. Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain, But am betroth'd unto your enemy; Divorce me, untie or break that knot again, Take me to you, imprison me, for I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

[king-atlas]

“And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?” {Judges 15:8}

Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before.  Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. 

It is very usual for God’s people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them. Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water!

Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes “halting on his thigh!” Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order to keep us within bounds.

Samson boasted right loudly when he said, “I have slain a thousand men.” His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God has many ways of humbling his people.  Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an unusual one.

When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, “I am this day weak, though anointed king.” You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph.  If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present difficulty is only like Samson’s thirst, and the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you.

The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson’s words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.

— from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

[king-atlas]

I don't want to let life go. I can only try to be willing.

Beth, from PBS Masterpiece’s Little Women

[king-atlas]

Sitting patient in the shadow Till the blessed light shall come, A serene and saintly presence Sanctifies our troubled home. Earthly joys and hopes and sorrows Break like ripples on the strand Of the deep and solemn river Where her willing feet now stand. O my sister, passing from me, Out of human care and strife, Leave me, as a gift, those virtues Which have beautified your life. Dear, bequeath me that great patience Which has power to sustain A cheerful, uncomplaining spirit In its prison-house of pain. Give me, for I need it sorely, Of that courage, wise and sweet, Which has made the path of duty Green beneath your willing feet. Give me that unselfish nature, That with charity devine Can pardon wrong for love's dear sake— Meek heart, forgive me mine! Thus our parting daily loseth Something of its bitter pain, And while learning this hard lesson, My great loss becomes my gain. For the touch of grief will render My wild nature more serene, Give to life new aspirations, A new trust in the unseen. Henceforth, safe across the river, I shall see forever more A beloved, household spirit Waiting for me on the shore. Hope and faith, born of my sorrow, Guardian angels shall become, And the sister gone before me By their hands shall lead me home.

“My Beth” by Louisa May Alcott, from Little Women

[king-atlas]

Because genius is not enough. It takes courage to change people's hearts.

Oleg, from The Green Book

[king-atlas]

Set me free, O Lord, to rejoice in the fortunes of others—even when they are not my own.

Undragoning of the Soul

[king-atlas]

In the warmth of the sun, I believed / circumstance often changes the way that I see / for the first time a shadow found me / I doubted the sun for the lack of the heat / and I ran, but He ran after me

[king-atlas]

On the road to glory, bind around your neck patience and hope, for they are some of the most suitable companions for the journey.

inspired by The Shawshank Redemption

[artandchocolate]

Susan Sontag - “Death Kit”

[king-atlas]

It would've been my wedding day on Saturday. And though it feels like everyone knows, I've realized not everyone knows. Over the weeks, I've been avoiding people at church; it's painful being asked, "How are the wedding plans going? How is your fiancé?" It is sorrowful... to think about a future I had hoped in. The reality that two people can be good people who love the Lord but it not be right--that is a hard thing to accept. But the Lord has been so kind to me, blessing me with a new home to nest in and with the support and prayers of my beloved church body. But this week... this week is hard. This week I'm lamenting. This week I'm thinking about how I would've entered the season of spring--the season of newness and beginnings--as the wife and helper, as a future mother and homemaker. Those who know me well and have walked with me through life for the last few years know that this longing runs deep. This is not the beginning I envisioned for myself, but it is all within the hand of the Lord; therefore, it is good. I know better today the voice of my Shepherd and that He protects, cares for, guides, and corrects His sheep. And when I lead worship, I can tell you that by the mercy of God, I mean more than ever what I sing from the stage. These words are no longer just words I sing as an offering to the Lord; they are now part of my being and are treasure to my soul. "O God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You." "For I am His, and He is mine." "He will hold me fast." "I will wait for You 'til my soul is satisfied." "My life is hid with Christ on high." "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well with my soul." I pour out the words of Psalm 16: the Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. The place I'm in is still pleasant. My inheritance is still beautiful. My lot is still good.

[vintagepales]

“L'amour ne périt jamais”

[king-atlas]

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control: that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul.

from Horatio Spafford’s “It Is Well With My Soul”

[king-atlas]

What would be the point of living if we didn’t let life change us?

Carson to Mrs. Hughes, from Downton Abbey

[tylerknott]

Can you believe it, that after all of this time, we are almost there?

Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson