The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play;
Among the lowing of the herds,
The rustling of the trees,
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.

The foolish fears of what may happen,
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay;
Among the husking of the corn
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born
Out in the fields with God.

-Elisabeth Barrett Browning.

How can one live with the truth
if the truth is one that says
that the monster in the mirror
is us?

How can one live with that
awful truth
and not die of sorrow,
of loneliness,
of unworthiness?

How can one ever hope
to be loved
when one knows how unlovable
one really is?

For what can one offer
her beloved
if not the thorns
that surround her very heart?

What can one expect to receive
if not fear, and if not rejection
for all the darkness
that one really has?

O, that my darkness
could turn into light,
and that my emptiness,
be filled with good!

O, that a kind hand
may lead me somewhere safe,
safe even from the horror
of who I really am.

Maybe then though I cry,
I might find some comfort;
though I hurt and cause others pain,
I might find healing and forgiveness.

Though I fail,
I might hope to keep on trying,
Though I die, I might believe,
and I might live again!

"I have been trying to make the reader believe that we actually are, at present, creatures whose character must be, in some respects, a horror to God, as it is, when we really see it, a horror to ourselves. This I believe to be a fact: and I notice that the holier a man is, the more fully he is aware of that fact." - C.S. Lewis

There are times in your life
when all that you could do is rest.

You cannot love,
you cannot dream,
you don’t know where to start,
and you don’t know where to go.

You want to change your life,
but you’re too weak to move,
you’re too tired to think,
too hurt to heal,
too numb to make amends,
too lost to even hope,
too tired to even pray.

Rest then O heart,
and rest then O soul,
for the journey has been too much for you,
and the world has left you wounded
and alone.

Sleep then for a while,
let go of all your woes.
Lie down in trust,
and let your tears flow down
as they should.

Somebody’s watching,
Somebody’s catching your every tear.
Fear not, for in the quiet of the night
you’re in the arms of Him
who loves you most.

Think not of your worries,
think not of your wounds,
for they shall be healed.
In time shall you find comfort,
and you shall find peace.

O blessed peace,
claim your portion and your strength.
May your soul know what stillness means,
and may the very marrow of your bones
find ease.

Time has come to stop your restless wonderings,
and for all the useless work to cease.
Let God work while you are sleeping,
and in the morning
may you find all things new and sweet.

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..." -Isaiah 30:15

"Remain still before Him, and stop your own restless working until He begins to work.  Do nothing that He Himself has not commanded you to do.  Allow God time to work and He surely will.  Then the very trials that threatened to overcome you with discouragement and disaster will become God's opportunity to reveal His grace and glory in your life in ways you have never known before." - Streams in the Desert