the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope

the dark before the dawn – a tiny collection of longing and hope

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
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…

from “The dark before the dawn” by Andrew peterson

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;
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.

Tabby RH

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.

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