Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

Peering into the great gray-mist 
The path, no longer seen 
Bad news & yearnings still persist 
Confusing the total scene 

Only a little track below
Can faint be seen ahead 
The inward pain, the most brutal blow 
Feelings now fully bled 

The mangled heart and the flesh fail 
But God is His great strength 
The good portion that will prevail 
Upholding from beneath 

His closest friends avoid his cry 
The family does not fully know 
Unbelievers asking, "Why?" 
Veiled tears won't stop their flow 

He hears, "Hope in me, your Great God! 
Follow the little track. 
The path you walk will not be broad 
Yet I promise you'll never lack." 

He bravely walks the next few steps 
Not knowing where they'll lead 
The misted way shrouding objects 
Slowing the total speed

And though he does not fully know 
He traverses to the bend 
His walk of faith does greatly show 
He follows Christ to the end

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my inspiration

She found herself alone, isolated, looking into a great gray mist. Fold after fold, the hills lay before her, but always in impenetrable mists. She could see no path. Only a little track in the valley below. She felt quite alone. For a while she stood. Listening. Feeling an inward isolation and uncertainty harder to bear than any acute physical pain had ever been.

Softly, voices began to speak within her…

“Hope in Me, your God! For you shall yet praise Him, who gives the very blush of health to your face.”

“No, the path I’m forced to walk is hidden from God…”

“I know the ways that you must walk. All your ways are before me. As for Me, my way is perfect and I make your way perfect. The people never thirsted even when I led them through the desert. Will you faint, though I lead you through mist-clouded hills?”

When her inner struggle ceased, she looked again at the mist – and saw that a great light was growing in its very heart. At once, she knew that she was not alone, had never been alone. God was her refuge and strength, present with her, ready to help in times of trouble! (Psalm 46:1)

As she walked and sang, others whom she did not see because the mist lay heavy all about her, heard her singing.

And though she did not know it, she gave many comfort and helped them to follow in the path of His footsteps too – all the way to the end.

Amy Carmichael, Figure of the True, p.3.

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my hero

My sweet Dad, John Kennedy, was diagnosed with ALS on July 19, 2022. He is braving the most devastating diagnosis that I could imagine. In prayer, he refers to this trial as “My great hurt” and I never want to forget this.

On Monday, February 6, 2023 (only seven months after my Dad’s diagnosis of ALS), the neurologist told us that my Dad could contact hospice – whenever he felt ready. I need the courage to trust – just like my Dad. He is the bravest man that I know.