When her message came in, I was pushing through a workout, making motions of motivation in hopes that my heart would follow. The long text covered my fitness app. Her words stopped me in my tracks and took my breath. I couldn’t even finish without sitting down and lifting her in prayer. Through silent tears, I read the message, thanking the Lord for the gift of her & asking Him to hold her close.

She told me she got my number from a note I wrote her over two years ago. She said she reads the note in good times and in hard times, and today she felt pulled to reach out. She decided I “deserved to know.”

“Life has been piling up more than I feel like I can handle”, she wrote, “and your note reminds me that my strength is not my own. It has gotten me through some of the darkest days & gave me a reason to live another day.”

I gulped, the weight of fear and gratitude settling over my heart. Please, Lord, draw her to You. Keep her safe. Allow her to experience Your comforting presence.

Just as I began to wonder what I could have said that would still be speaking to her years later, she sent a picture of the single-page journal note.

I had written about her beauty and gifts and my confidence that she would thrive in all she pursued. I encouraged her about the exciting adventure ahead of her and pledged to always be here if she needed anything. But, in the midst of that, I offered a warning and a challenge rooted in Truth. I said,

“BUT…there will also be days when waking up is hard, and taking the next step feels too daunting. There will be days when people let you down, and sadness overwhelms you, and all hope seems lost…
Remember, sweet girl, that Hope is never lost! He is not a feeling; He is the Creator-Savior Who gave His life for yours, and He holds you in His hands. Hope is not an emotion…Hope is Jesus!”

As I read the words in the photo, tears streamed down my cheeks. I don’t remember why I chose those words or that message exactly. Maybe I was thinking about how easy it is for high-achieving, try-hards like us to collect all the accolades and move through life with people thinking we have it all together. Maybe I was remembering that Hope Himself has often been the ONLY One holding me up. Maybe I knew she would struggle. Maybe I didn’t. Maybe the Spirit directed my heart in that all-knowing way He has. Whatever the reason, I was stunned and humbled that the Lord was using Truth that He allowed me to write many months ago to remind her of His love today. In her struggle. In her pain.

That shouldn’t be surprising, I guess…the way He works, I mean. It shouldn’t be surprising that our words MATTER. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Prov 18:21) Lord, forgive me for all of the times I’ve spoken death or spewed ugliness with the very mouth you gave me for praising You and loving others. Help me fix my eyes and heart on You.

Our conversation continued a while, my momma-heart compelled to be sure she was safe and supported. We talked through the pressures and the pain, the struggles and the strategies. She lingered on my mind all day – often landing in the prayers I cried to our loving Father. I am confident He will bring her to mind often, and I commit to lift her to Him with open hands, trusting that He will keep her.

The lessons keep swirling in my heart. Jesus, strong and kind, meeting me in my mess…using a precious young lady’s words of life to lift my eyes to Him and remind me of what matters most. Speak life. Speak Truth. Use the gifts I’ve been given to point others to Christ.

What an honor to be trusted with her story – a story that first intersected with mine more than five years earlier. Our connection wasn’t made in Sunday School or through light-hearted pleasantries in passing. It began in a classroom where Literature and Language were the goal. We couldn’t have known that grammar would give way to grit and that life would give us lessons harder than any school curriculum. We didn’t know that loss and heartache would define that year, nor could we have predicted the bond the Lord would build because of it. They were ordinary days with extraordinary events that rocked us, but even back then, the words mattered. The Truth of “it’s okay to not be okay” and “this is more important than school” freed young hearts to grieve without needing to put their feelings away in a neat box, like they could be housed on a shelf until a more convenient moment. Their situation was the same, but different than mine, and I tried to think about the ways people had held me up when I was in their shoes decades earlier.

I did nothing extraordinary. Love God. Love others. Repeat. This was the pattern of those before me. I didn’t think much about the far reaching effects. I didn’t feel like I was changing lives, because I wasn’t. I was pushing through, looking for the next right thing and failing more often than not. I think Jesus made it simple for us on purpose – because too many things overwhelm our feeble minds. Too much striving yields perfectionism and chaos and robs us of eucharisteo. I know because I’ve been there.

Eucharisteo: grace…gratitude…joy

Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

Like ocean waves, our striving pounds against the peace that we long for. Our efforts stir anxiousness and dissatisfaction, and the winds of doubt and fear threaten to overtake us.

If life was gentle and easy, maybe He would offer us hope – like sunshine, or hope – like chocolate, or hope – like coffee. Instead, the Biblical author declares, “We have this hope – like an anchor for our souls.” Hebrews 6 spurs us on to maturity, faithfulness to the Lord, and earnestness to have the full assurance of hope. We need that in the face of adversity. Life comes with breakers that threaten to overtake us – swelling waves that flood our minds and capsize our determination. As the Psalmist cried out in Psalm 42, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God…Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me…Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.”

So my heart is stilled, knowing that this Hope I have, this Hope SHE has, can not only withstand the storms, but He can quiet us and hold us steady through it all. I am grateful for her. Grateful for the trying days that brought us together. Maybe even grateful for this storm she’s in because it seems He’s using it to show her His power. His power is so great that even the winds and the seas obey Him. Surely He can steady me. Surely He can steady her. Surely, He is sure. Thank you, Lord, that we have this hope ~ like an anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19).