Sometimes life happens to us in ways we don’t expect, in ways that we don’t know we’ll need to prepare for.
(Photo of a metal cross taken in my hallway. Brett originally found this at the tip)
We walk along the path well trodden and think that we'll always be on that exact same route.
One day we find ourselves in the hard place, where the dark shadows try to swallow up the wasteland spaces.
It's unfamiliar and at times cold and lonely. We don't recognise our surroundings or ourselves.
The thing to remember is that looks can be deceiving. We see the dust, the cracks and the dry. But if you look deeper you will find there is more.
Life is tucked away just under the surface of that seemingly barren place. Hope springs up and life bursts forth. There are new seasons awaiting.
Recognise the dark and the lengthening shadows but stretch and see the light breaking through those cracks in the dry ground. It is there. Look and you will find.
The Life, The Hope and The Spirit inside are alive and calling to the deep places, “Arise. Awaken. Keep going. I am with you always”.
The darkness doesn't immediately vanish but there are more glimpses of light.
The shadows don't cease to lengthen but you feel less exposed.
The cracked, dry ground doesn't instantly become less barren but you can see the potential for growth.
Wherever you are in your journey, may you find the load just a little lighter and the road a little less lonely today. Originally posted on The Mighty July 2021