April 24, 2024. A heart breaks in sickness. Morning Journal.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalms 34:18

A heart breaks in sickness, from the emboldened reminder that being in a broken body feels so wrong. It serves as a poignant echo that this world, with all of its suffering and brokenness, is not our true home. These mortal frames will fail us, and they separate us from the life we yearn for—a life immersed fully in God's perfect presence, where peace and truth reign-leaving no room for suffering and lies. Yet this life is an important part of our journey towards that other realm, beyond time’s erosion, where all things will be restored. Here, we each have a purpose to fulfill and must do our part to realize that purpose. We are called to tread that shadowed path (for however long and in whatever condition) persisting towards the future and to that time ahead in which all promises will be realized. We do not sit by the way-waiting for rescue. We press on with hope, trusting in a God who faithfully keeps His word. While we pray for restoration in this life, we ultimately trust that those promises of healing and renewal have already been fulfilled in the life to come. As we await the dawning of brighter days, we are called to intercede for one another in prayer with confidence in the goodness and mercy of our God. And when the miracles we so desperately seek in this life do not come in our own timing, we seek the strength to overcome our own unbelief-to cast off those garments of bitterness that the world gives, and to gather ourselves under the cloak of Christian community. Gathering in prayer in the midst of our suffering, nurtures the Spirit’s strength and truth within us, fortifying our true design.  Here, we encounter our Creator, finding healing and solace in His steadfastness—revealing His power and goodness to a world in need. This purpose-driven life, emboldened by communion with our Father, calls us to shine as beacons of light in a world overshadowed by darkness.

Echoes and Light. Autumn 2024. Original Photography.

~Verses for additional reflection~

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them also.