“Doxology is always the first line of defense against the dark.”
Ann Voskamp
Over the past decade, Ann Voskamp has been a tool in God’s hands, by which He has reshaped my life, so it should come as no surprise that I am sharing one of her blogs with you while we traipse through some side trails as we await our next journey. The timing is perfect because it focuses on gratitude. However, the content is helpful to our walk of faith and, therefore, perfect for any time of the year. I pray it is a blessing.
Ann writes:
“Watching your little sister get crushed and killed under a wheel when you’re only only four-years-old? That’s a moment that’s going to take decades to process.”
My therapist says it steady, his eyes searching mine, reading my face.
And I turn away, as if not looking into his eyes but out the window, I can turn back all this startling wave of drowning ache.
“I’m kinda worried about you, Annie,” a friend comes looking for me after that therapy session. “You… okay?”
“Yes, of course, I am… and no, I’m not… and yes, I am. You know… ” I smile weakly, bravely, through everything brimming.
Every single one of us is walking through some kind of deep heartbreak, and real life strain, and if you look into people’s eyes, and ask the right tender question, there it is: a fracture of pain right up the side of their one life. Bruised relationships, and draining bank accounts, and weary dreams, and sheer mountains ahead of us, and who isn’t a bit tired of the fight called life?
This world is a broken-heart factory, and it’s full of His glory, and it’s only holding both of those, that you let go and find joy.
Ann Voskamp/Blog/When It’s Kinda Hard to Give Thanks
The More We Know
*Note: This is a bittersweet glimpse into her life and a glimpse of just some of the trauma and heartache she has known. If you’re not familiar with Ann and her writings, I encourage you to check out some of her blogs or pick up a copy of her book, One Thousand Gifts.
Me From the Inside Out 