It was a long, strange, sad and beautiful week.
My heart hurts... but I am reminded of HOPE.
I was able to spend time with my friend Lauren, who said goodbye to her sweet baby boy last week.
I remember what it felt like those first few days after Caden died.
The quiet.
The tears.
The ache.
The overwhelming saddness.
How the world kept turning, clocks kept ticking by seconds, minutes, hours... like nothing had changed. How could that be when my whole world, my whole life, Lauren's whole life, had stopped...crashed and broken into a million pieces... how?
I remember.
And I think, this past week, when I was able to talk to Lauren... to my friend Ashley (who said goodbye to her son Jonah last week), God answered a prayer.
After Caden died I asked God to show me small glimpses of why. Why her, why me, why this...
God has so overwhelmingly comforted, encouraged and strengthened me. He has given, and given and given. He has shown mercy and grace and love beyond measure. I have been humbled and brought low... and I have seen God in a way I never knew before.
He has, in a way, prepared me.
To proclaim his goodness to those who hurt.
To comfort those in pain.
To encourage those bent low under the weight of life.
To stand as an example of God's abundant faithfulness and love.
What an awesome gift... to share about God with others in the hard things.
One of the hardest things for me when going through difficult times is remembering truth when my emotions take off. When I am sad...it is hard to remember God is good. When I am hurt, it is hard to remember God and His comfort. When I am so tired and drained, it is hard to remember God is, and provides strength.
So what remindes me of truth? ... truth itself.
Scripture.
God's word.
The Bible.
I was thinking of this earlier this week and how it is hard to remember...and that you almost need a hand book for hard things. Something you can use for yourself, or give away to those in need.
*lightbulb*
why not make one...
so I did.
and I want to share, because we all go through hard things... and we need reminders of what is true.
and, because I strive to make my life as cute as possible...
I added color and birds and a massive cute factor.
It is a small, soft cover Blurb book.
and you can purchase one here.
I also want to give one away.
You can keep it... or pass it on to a friend.
To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite go-to scripture for hard times or what you would use the book for.
The giveaway will be open until noon on Friday (November 4th)
I cannot wait to keep these on hand to give to people who need encouragement and comfort from God's word. It is my hope that this little book can be used for God's Glory in all the hard things of life.
