how can I go on?

Her eyes are blood shot and full of tears.
Her small hand are covered in blisters and torn across her knuckles from digging in the dry earth to plant crops.
Her feet are worn and calloused from walking miles with no shoes.
The veins in her arms stick out because of the lack of nutrition she gets.
  She works her land as the man she cares for lays dying in their home from disease. With no medicine to ease his pain, he lays there day in and day out...waiting on a miracle.
Can you see them?

His body is frail from weeks of laying broken in bed. Injury and surgery have left him to flat on his back in pain for weeks. His eyes are full of hope in the Lord, even though his tears try to escape. His arms are strong as he clasps his hands in prayer in the midst of a dark season of confusion.
He has not been able to stand, walk, run, drive a car of go anywhere besides the hospital for 5 weeks and yet he smiles.
He has missed work and is not sure when he will be able to return...and yet he praises the Lord...
He lays in bed for hours on end with medicine that does not ease his pain...and yet he manages to thank God...
He lays there waiting for a miracle.
Can you see him?


The bitter cold blows against her tiny, wrinkled face as she walks as fast as she can to the door of my office. Her eyes are as blue as a summer sky and you can see deep love and yet deep sadness in them. Her body is bent over from age and she walks with a slight limp. Her voice cracks as she tells me of the death of her dear brother...and her beautiful hand comes up to meet her eyes and gently she wipes away tears. Her head hangs down as she shares of her loss. Moments later she lifts her head and with tears still spilling from her eyes, she manages the sweetest smile. Soft words escape her lips and she says, " life is hard".
Can you see her?

Oh how my heart aches for people all over this world!!
One of my favorite things to do is listen to people and their stories. I love to know where someone has come from, where they are at, and how they are managing to make it through this life.
I have found two common denominators in every person's story no matter their race or religion.
One... We all have pain!!! Some of us have more pain than others...but we all have wounds and hurts and grief!
Two...We all want hope!!! For some people who have been hurting for so long, hope is something to cling to even though at times it seems that hope is lost. Some people ache to have something to hope for...
Some people are losing hope...but deep down inside want to have a reason to hope again!

I am honored to be a part of so many people's lives who are willing to share with me some of their deep hurts, concerns and hopes for their future's. I pray deep down inside that each time someone shares with me their story that the Lord would give me a good word of hope that would propel that person's faith and give them a tiny piece of hope in the Lord to keep going. I know it is not me...it is all the Lord!

So many people in this world need encouragement....and more than that, they need hope!
They need hope to know that even though things seem hopeless....the Lord has NOT forgotten them!
They need hope to keep breathing in and out just to make it another day.
They need hope for their future....
They need hope to believe that this world has more to offer than pain...

My dear friends...where do you find yourself in life now?
Are you in a season of hopelessness? Does your spirit feel crushed and weighed down by the things of this life?
Do you find yourself questioning life and what is going to happen to you?

Oh beloved friends I want to share with you the greatest hope that will not disappoint you!
(oh my eyes are flooded with tears...as I wish I could ease your pain)
The hope that will not disappoint is the HOPE that only the Lord can give you!
I do not know what you are walking through...
I can not feel the aches your body feels..
I don't understand what it is like to lose someone so close to you...
I can't begin to fathom what it must be like to watch someone you love pass away right before you eyes...
I know that it is not easy to walk through this life. Like my sweet friend from work said to me..."life is hard".
But no matter how hard this life is...not matter what you are walking through...no matter where you have been, if you don't have hope you will not be able to move forward!
  I am not saying that hope will immediately take away the pain that you are feeling....but it will give you the strength to walk through the fire!
 Jesus gave us the hope we need when He died the most excruciating death for us!
He experienced pain so severe in order that we might have the hope of knowing that we will have an eternity of peace!
Can you imagine an eternity of peace????
I know that sounds pretty nice sometimes!
I recently talked to a guy who was broken from the loss of family member, job, and fiance. He didn't think he had the strength to go on. He was broken every day and dreaded every day...but he kept going because of that deep seeded hope that things would get better...somehow!
  Friends...I do not know where you are...but I know where hope will take you!
It is not easy to hope in the midst of a storm...but I promise that He will carry you through!

Don't lose heart...when you feel you have nothing left...remember that you have hope..and hope never fails!

Oh sweet friends how He loves you and me!