Never alone...

Until I started blogging, all the world was a prompt, waiting for my next quip. But blogging has changed that. Now I look for prompts for meaningful reflection. (Okay, I admit, I still look for the joke prompt too.)

Since today is Sunday, and I like to share something meaningful, I had to hit my mental pause button, rewind through the week, and search out a worthy prompt. I found it on my daughter’s blog. She wrote:

“When almost everything else is stripped away - whether it is mountains or just leaves, that's when I re-discover the (best or worst) things that have been there all along. Barrenness or loneliness or despair are no fun, as a prairie pioneer or ocean sailor could tell you. But they can show things for what they really are.

When my mom passed away, I found the friends that were right by my side. And a sense of God unlike before or after.”



Whether in nature or in life, stripping away is inevitable. Perhaps what Joanna found was what Jesus meant when he said, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” I’ve heard this verse paraphrased, “Never will I leave you, never will I send you away.”

When things are stripped away, you see what’s there and what’s not there. You also see who’s there, and who’s not there. One of the things Joanna found during the time of her mother’s death was a sense of God.

Friends and family may be a God-send during times of bereavement or during other times of great loss, but sometimes it comes down to you and God. During those times, we are often incapable of doing our part. We are running on empty, but we’re not alone.




Jesus consoled Simon Peter with these words, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Sometimes, what has carried me through the greatest lows of life have been the prayers of Another. He knows, he cares, he consoles, and he carries you through. He even prays for you.

Jesus is a “friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” He’s the friend of sinners, and he’s the friend you will find never leaves you, nor forsakes you, even when you’ve been stripped by the circumstances of life.




Life happens, but “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”




Keep going. Don’t quit. Brighter days will return. Lean on Another. Fall forward!

Happy Sunday fellow pilgrims!