Each year, August seems to be one of the harder months around here. The long days grow hotter, keeping us indoors more. I also tend to be more preoccupied with lists of projects to complete before our school year begins, meaning the kids are left to busy themselves more and arguing inevitably ensues. With news of the horrific violence in Iraq and Robin William’s tragic death, this week has felt even harder, a surreal–even hopeless– picture of the world at large. Today, as the kids and I, cleaned and tidied our home, I found myself humming the old hymn It Is Well, reminded of the truths “If dark hours about me shall roll, no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.” I share this small thought with you, not to be heavy or dower, but to remind you of hope, to remind you in the darkest hours, on the hottest August days, in the hardest places of life, God wants to whisper His peace to your soul. Today, I’m breathing in every bit of it.
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I share the sentiment. Absolutely. (And I don’t even have the heat to add to a similar list.) I got in the car to drive a few blocks to a park Tuesday, heard such horror on the news that I just kept driving and drove most of the Carmel Valley. My spirit was so upset. I came across Is.26: 19 today… you’ll appreciate the light imagery: “Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shot for joy, / For your dew is as the dew of the lights (dawn), / And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits (also interpreted: And the earth will cause to fall the shades.)
Such life-giving words, Joy. Thank you. I keep hearing the Lord say, “I am always with you”–a really weighty reminder that it is true for those on the other side of the world, too. Love you, friend. x
Bethany, thank you. What an anchor such words are, because they tell of the anchor we have in God. That hymn has always been one of my favorites. I remember declaring it my favorite as a child, actually. It came to mean so much more to me over this past year, because the person who wrote it lost so much, including children, before it was written. I had always heard that, but it wasn’t until I lost my own child that it became such an overwhelming comfort. I, too, have been struck and affected by all the recent events and sad losses that are prevalent in the news, as well as the micro troubles in my own small world. You can look to just about any level or circle, and there is so much pain and suffering and hurting… from the world as a whole right down to our small worlds as individuals. It can be so overwhelming. I’ve spent a few hours pouring over some other issues, and with so many saying so much, all conflicting, it’s so hard and it drives me to the anchor… or what my soul is anchored in. Only there can I say it is well with my soul. On this night where my head was sort of all over the place, I needed such a reminder. And what a beautiful, peaceful photo to go with it. Reminds me of another favorite text… verses from Isaiah 26. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Yes! It’s amazing how often we hear and sing songs without the context of how they were written–the story and hardship with which someone can write “It is well” or “Amazing Grace.” Although often my thoughts here are small, I always hope they give greater context, a hope to those who long for Beauty and Truth. Thank you for sharing your own, Georgia. x
Perfect. Romans 15:13 comforts as well.
Thank you Suzanne. Those are really sweet words to meditate on–I’m writing them down for memory.
Thank you for remembering It is Well…
Yes. I could have that reminder daily. Maybe that’s the lesson I’m suppose to be learning all along? ;)