goodness and mercy will follow me.

who knows suffering more than us? on the deepest of levels? who knows it first hand and CHOSE it anyway. for us? on the cross? we are not alone in suffering. we have SOMEONE who can relate and empathize and be compassionate towards our pain.....that shared understanding of pain can be a thread that ties you to Him in the greatest of bonds....revealing a WHOLE other layer of God's person and character, peeling away a veil that only grief can tear that honestly and ruthlessly, but leaves you with a most beautiful and awe-struck raw and emotional connection to the One who suffered greatly first.....He has truly gone before us....what mercy.

i have so many thoughts and so many reflections that have flooded my mind the last two or three weeks regarding loss and suffering.

i haven't the time right now to put it all together but i am so thankful for the renewing of the mind that God blesses us with when we really seek Him and ask Him for clarity.....

will share my thoughts soon when i have a second to gather them more clearly....

the Lord is good. He is worthy to be praised. He loves us passionately and wonderfully and is so patient.

thank you, Lord, for your patience with me.

thank you for shining bright spots of hope in my heart that remind me of your grace and goodness, in the midst of such pain.