Hello, friends!
Sometimes it can feel as if the darkness in the world and within our flawed natures is so weighty, and nearly too heavy to bear. The shorter days and the gloomy skies can exacerbate the soul-weariness, and so I wanted to share with you some of my favorite lyrics/poems/quotes that acknowledge the ache and frustration without glossing it over, and yet point to the light so tangibly, giving an extra dose of courage to keep on standing against the darkness! I hope they can bless you as much as they’ve encouraged me. ❤
I’ve been waiting for the sun
from “The dark before the dawn” by Andrew peterson
to come blazing up out of the night like a bullet from a gun
till every shadow is scattered, every dragon’s on the run
oh, I believe, I believe that the light is gonna come…
send out the light
please
let it pierce this
darkness shrouding my soul
don’t let me sit here
all alone
memories haunting me
“could have been”s taunting me
pulling me
deeper and
deeper and
deeper into
the darkest parts of myself
send out the light
please
don’t leave me here
all alone
– poem xix from my poetry collection, This Will Not Last
…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
1 peter 2:9-10
and she knew that this pain –
so deep,
so ravaging,
so unpredictable in its
brutal attacks,
would not last forever.
that its strength would only
strengthen her
if only she would let Him
carry her through
those hardest nights…
…and she knew that He would.
poem xxi from my poetry collection This Will Not Last
may you find Hope somewhere unexpected;
Tabby RH
may the Thing you’re dreading fade like mist & leave something Beautiful in its place;
may your heart beat again;
may you get warm in places that have been cold for far too long;
may you shift your eyes from the perils before you & remember all the fair things you’ve
seen,
heard,
tasted,
touched,
& made;
may Christ reach into the dusty corners of your soul,
clear out the cobwebs,
blow out the fog,
open the shutters,
& let in His healing light.
with You, I can see beyond this desert –
on Your shoulders,
I see hope dancing on the horizon,
the truth that
there is more than this suffering…
and this pain will turn to gold
in the furnaces of time.
“furnaces” from my poetry collection Clarion Hope
Do you have any favorite songs/poems/Scriptures/quotes you turn to when you need an extra dose of courage? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Stay the course!
❤ Laurel
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something through one of the links I share in this post, I receive a small commission…at no extra cost to you.:)
Laurel Luehmann 
These are beauteous and I thank you for sharing them! One of my favorites lately has been Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound with hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
I love how it reminds me that hope, joy, and peace are all to come directly from Him—they’re not something I can produce or summon myself, but I’m just to believe in and seek Him, and He will give hope.
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Oh, goodness, I love that verse. ❤ (I just remembered it's in the back of Clarion Hope, too!!) That's so true…He alone is the source and sustainer of our hope! Thank you for the reminder, Emma. ❤
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Ooh, I didn’t remember it was there either! It’s SUCH a good reminder to me. 🤍
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This is so beautiful, Laurel. I love the poems, and the quotes you shared. Thank you so much!
Narnia holds many of the quotes I turn to for courage. As does The Lord of the Rings and The Green Ember by S.D. Smith. And Andrew Peterson!
I have a running note on my phone with quotes and links and words of courage. There’s a lot of scripture, some songs, and some messages from friends. The journal section from your January Review is also in that note. (:
The podcast Gospel Portions is incredible at giving me snippets of truth and courage from saints throughout history.
Stay the course!
Josie
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Oh, I’m so glad, Josie! I’ve not yet finished The Green Ember, but I’ve heard so many good things about it. Definitely adding it to the TBR!🤭
That is such a good idea!! And I’m so honored…I’m really glad it blessed you! ❤
Ooh, yay! I'm always on the lookout for more good podcasts, and Gospel Portions sounds amazing. I'll give it a listen!
And right back at you! 🙂 ❤
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❤ So beautiful, sis! I've been reading + loving how 1 John describes us as light with Jesus in us, in the midst of a dark world. ❤ Thank you for sharing your light here, my friend!! The poems are lovely (Tabby's too!!!), and the song at the beginning is a favorite! I just got to hear Andrew Peterson sing it in person recently (ahh!) and love how we get to be fellow Light bearers wherever our Father puts us!!!
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