a good read.

"i cry out, "my splendor is gone! everything i had hoped for from the lord is lost!" the thought of my suffering is bitter beyond words. i will never forget this awful time as i grieve over my loss. yet i still dare to hope when i remember this: the faithful love of the lord never ends. his mercies never cease. great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. i say to myself, "the lord is my inheritance; therefore, i will hope him him." the lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him...for no one is abandoned by the lord forever. though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. my tears flow endlessly. they will not stop until the lord looks down from heaven and sees. you heard me when i cried; yes, you came when i called. you told me, "do not fear!" lord, you are my lawyer. plead my case, for you have redeemed my life." lamentations 3.

i am so thankful for god's word. ok, that totally didn't sound like something i'd say, right? but its true. i mean, come on, lamentations? who even reads that book? but there's some good stuff in there. i remember in high school i was literally obsessed with the bible. that sounds dorky, but i was. i would spend hours reading it...searching and studying the pages to find passages that i could apply to my life. i would write down verses and scatter them like a trail of breadcrumbs. on my mirror, in my car, on my books. i'd e-mail verses, write them in cards, and leave them on post-its in my dad's office. i soaked it in like a sponge.

my, how the things that i've read are coming in quite handy.

i'm sad to say that i don't have quite as much time to read the bible as i used to. i'm even sadder to say that there are plenty of days that i forget. but not a day goes by that i do not remember the words that i've read time and time again. i need the bible now more than ever, and it never fails to deliver peace and hope to me when i need it.

i encourage you to search god's word and find some passages that speak to you. write them down, memorize them, meditate on them. you might not know when you'll need those words, but i guarantee that you will.