I consider myself an encourager although it is true that I fail at it often.  But it is in my nature to want to encourage people, to make them feel better, to cheer them on.  Sometimes it's an easy task, other times it takes all I have within me.  If you are a regular reader here you may have noticed a lack of posting recently. When you are busy trying to walk beside someone in the midst of battle you sometimes get wounded too. Those wounds came fast and hard, one and then another and another with no time to catch  my breath, to process, to heal.  

A family member of mine has been going through a 10 year war, the most recent battle of 3 of those years taking us inside a courthouse many times over the past couple months hoping to right an injustice.  We have sat on wooden courthouse benches in the most beautiful settings, amidst the ugly, praying prayers that often contained no words.  Some situations are so overwhelming that only your heart can drum out what you long for God to hear.

If it were up to me I would have stayed on the shore shouting, "You can do this!  Be strong!" and other such sentiments.  But when someone you love asks you to get in the boat with her - you get in the boat.  You put on your life jacket as the waves rise and crash against the boat.  You hold on tight as it sways so hard you feel it tipping over and over again.  And when you are thrown into the sea, you cling to the Rock that is Jesus.  You You trust that somehow, bruised and battered as you are, that God will bring you back to shore again.  You trust that even though the sin of others has caused an outcome we didn't want, could scarcely believe, that God can still bring good from it.  He is still good.








Linking up here:  Three Word Wednesday


  

For me, a special part of the heatwave we have been experiencing here in the Pacific Northwest has been the ability to venture outdoors in the early, cool hours of the morning with a steaming mug of tea to just be still.  






In that stillness the other morning I heard a horse across the road begin to whinny.  After a pause, I heard another across the valley respond back, the solo becoming a duet.  

It started out innocently enough, an e-mail from her and then my reply.  But it was her next message that stopped me in my tracks and eventually opened the flood gates.  It was one line only, "What kinds of things are you working on and how can I pray for you."  

My mind was immediately swirling with how I would reply.  The truth?  I wasn't working on any specific project.  In fact, I was barely blogging.  The truth?  There were some heavy things going on in my extended family and I was working out a new normal.  The truth?  My heart was overwhelmed by her generosity as well.  So what did I do?  I didn't reply. Well, not immediately anyhow.  I thought about it.  I forgot about it.  I thought about it again.  I pondered it over a warm bath.  I threw the idea of not replying at all up to God to see what He might have to say about it.