My husband stood in the yard. A whispered prayer fell from his lips as he looked at the sunset. He was pleading with the Lord. Pleading with the Lord beneath a sky bathed in rich color, swirls of orange and pink reflecting through the thick clouds.

As he stood there gazing into the beauty of God’s creation, his father was dying. Before the sun completely set on the horizon, his father took his last breath, and my husband’s face crumpled with grief. Beneath the beauty of that colorful sky, hot tears soaked our faces. Suffering spread over us like a thin veil. In the sorrow, we sought the Lord.

In the days that followed, we surrounded ourselves with dear friends who would pray when we could only cry. In grieving the loss of my father-in-law, we felt welcomed into the arms of others suffering loss. Others who had been to this abyss of pain and waded through the waves of grief. A gathering of people who were walking this road and along the way, with every shaky step, proclaimed, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

Yes, God is with us. On this holy mountain of suffering and healing, God is with us.

He is with you, dear sister. Whether you are in the ebbs and flows of sorrow, or walking alongside someone who is, God is with you. In the hard places, a river of peace will find you. A river of peace that streams from the heart of Jesus.

Wherever you find yourself in this moment, I encourage you to keep going. Keep stepping forward. Keep embracing the richness of this life. It is full of joy, and love, and loss, and healing. Keep meeting your beloved Savior in the space between suffering and beauty. You will always find Him there, holding out His wounded hand to guide you. Suffering and beauty, each a wondrous gaze into the glory of God.

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