A little review as we get to the last post in our series: Trying to stuff or hide my pain from myself, God and others is fruitless and unhelpful.
I’ve got to breathe out the sorrow, doubts, angst and disappointment to make room for the life-giving breath of Truth and the Holy Spirit.
And then I need to do one more thing. I must appropriate the strength and courage of my Savior-the Author and Finisher of my faith.
It is possible to endure. It is possible to finish well. It is possible to hold onto hope and follow the Light and Love of Jesus through this Valley.
❤ Melanie
My friend and fellow bereaved mom, Margaret Franklin, Ryan’s mom, shared a beautiful Dutch word with me “Sterkte” (pronounced STAIRK-tah).
It literally translates “strength” or “power” but culturally means much more. It means bravery, strength, fortitude and endurance in the face of fear and insumountable odds through the empowering strength of God in me.
Not MY strength, but HIS.
It’s the strength Isaiah meant when he wrote:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
This is what it means to appropriate God’s strength:
Read the rest here: Trust After Loss: Appropriate God’s Strength
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thelifeididntchoose 
I call You friend. Your words have been used to speak to my heart truths I desperately needed to hear. You are testifying to all the broken hearts in the deepest darkest valleys. I am sorry for the pain that has caused you to be put in this position but Your son is cheering you on in Heaven. I am approaching year 2 without my Tara and still don’t recognize my reflection in the mirror. Today’s grief work has helped me believe I can Keep going forward into the darkness trusting the light will come . I will Need to read this one over and over. Prayers that you will be able to compile your writings into a devotional or some type of print. Strength to do the grief work. Your reading is part of how I grieve Well.
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