Encouragement

As a person who loves music, scripture, and quotes, I've constantly got an ear out and an eye open to catch something that speaks to me. The first thing I ran to when Avery passed away, was the Bible (via Bible Gateway at the time). Secondly, I thought of song lyrics that I could relate to. And even now, I still seek out both of those avenues for things that tug at my heart, as well as random quotes I come across here and there. I wanted to share these random scriptures, lyrics, and quotes with you here. Many of them have helped me either feel encouraged and hopeful or have made me feel like I had something to relate to, to express how I feel. To me, both of those help very much. I hope something you read here can help you if you've been faced with any kind of true struggle or deep pain. :)


"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - John 16:33


 Taylor Swift - "Change"

This song makes me cry every time I hear it. To me, it's a victory song. It helps me feel more confident at the thought of trying again for baby #2. Especially with the first verse, I feel like I know SO well how it feels to watch everyone else get what I want. But one day, I'll have it too. :)

And it’s a sad picture, the final blow hits you
Somebody else gets what you wanted again
You know it’s all the same, another time and place
Repeating history and you’re getting sick of it
But I believe in whatever you do
And I’ll do anything to see it through


Because these things will change
Can you feel it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down
This revolution, the time will come
For us to finally win
We sing hallelujah, we sing hallelujah


So we’ve been outnumbered
Raided and now cornered
It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair
We’re getting stronger now
Find things they never found
They might be bigger
But we’re faster and never scared
You can walk away, say we don’t need this
But there’s something in your eyes
Says we can beat this


Tonight we'll stand, get off our knees
Fight for what we’ve worked for all these years
And the battle was long, it’s the fight of our lives
But we’ll stand up champions tonight


It was the night things changed
Do you see it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down
It’s a revolution, throw your hands up
Cause we never gave in
And we'll sing hallelujah, we sang hallelujah
Hallelujah!



"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God." - Psalm 42:11


"But You, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to me." - Psalm 22:19


‎"Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ."


"Your Grace has found me just as I am, empty-handed but alive in Your hands..." -  from "Majesty" by Delirious


‎"These hands are Yours, teach them to serve as You please. And I'll reach out, desperate to see all the Greatness of God. May my soul rest assured in You... 'Cause I know that You're alive. You came to fix my broken life. And I'll sing to glorify Your holy Name, Jesus Christ..." - from "Fire Fall Down" by Hillsong United


Michael Castro - "In Search of Tomorrow"

I had the chance to meet Michael and actually tell him that this song of his means a lot to me. He was so gracious and kind. Amazing guy, amazing artist. :)

Sing me a song of that old silent hill
And how the clouds would frame your porcelain skin
The highways are long, yet I wonder still
If I chased them down and searched every town
Then would I find you?

Sorrows will fade and blessings will follow
Don't lose today in search of tomorrow
For tomorrow brings the end

Shed me a tear for the dreams of all those years
How we let them fade and hung them to dry
Next to me here, you're immortal in that frame
If I saw you now would you still look the same?
Would you recognize me?

Sorrows will fade and blessings will follow
Don't lose today in search of tomorrow
For tomorrow brings the end


"The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."


Plus One - "Quest of Many Trails"

If the tears want out then let them fall
They'll hit your cheeks and then dissolve
You see, nothing heals quite like time
It fills the gap between dreams and real life
So give your pain a chance to run itself dry
Remember the story without all the hurt
Hold onto the fruit and wash off all the dirt
You see, life is bittersweet
And sweet's the best part
You'd never rate your 'happy' without 'sad' on the chart

Stars colliding against the dark of the night
You'll climb over the moon tonight
On your quest of many trails



"The tiny footprints left behind on your heart speak your name as Mother."



Stephen Curtis Chapman - "Heaven is the Face"

Of course, not every line of this song applies to me but I can relate, just like Stephen unfortunately can, to the loss of a daughter. If you've lost a child, I recommend Stephen's album, "Beauty Will Rise." He wrote all of the songs about the sudden passing of his young daughter, Maria.

Heaven is the face of a little girl

With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for awhile.”
God, I know, it's all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I'm aching for
God, you know, I just can't see beyond the door
So right now...
Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams
And God, I know, it's all of this and so much more
But God, You know, that this is what I'm longing for
God, you know, I just can't see beyond the door
But in my mind's eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space
All the cancer is gone
Every mouth is fed
And there's no one left in the orphans' bed
Every lonely heart finds their one true love
And there's no more goodbye
And no more not enough
And there's no more enemy
Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You
And we both run into Your arms
Oh God, I know, it's so much more than I can dream
It's far beyond anything I can conceive
So God, You know, I'm trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl
Heaven in the face of my little girl



Switchfoot - "Sing It Out"

I'm on the run
I'm on the ropes this time
Where is my song?
I've lost the song of my soul tonight

Sing it out
Sing it out
Take what is left of me
And make it a melody
Sing it out
Sing out loud
I can't find the words to sing
You'd be my remedy
My song
My song
I'll sing with what's left of me

Where is the sun?
Feel like a ghost this time
Where have You gone?
I need Your breath in my lungs tonight

I'm holding on
I'm holding onto You
My world is wrong
My world is a lie that's come true
And I fall in love with the ones that run me through
When all along, all I need is You



‎"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28



‎"I know my God saved the day and I know His word never fails and I know my God made a way for me. It's gonna be alright..." - from "Salvation is Here" by Hillsong United


‎"You never know what temporal days may bring so laugh, love, live free, and sing. When life is in discord, praise ye the Lord..." - from  "Paperthin Hymn" by Anberlin (my favorite band of ALL time)


‎"Cause I miss you, body and soul, so strong that it takes my breath away. And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today. Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right, and though I can't be with you tonight, you know my heart is by your side..." - from "If You're Not The One" by Daniel Bedingfield


"ALL things work together for good for those who love Him." - Romans 8:28


‎"Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me." - Psalm 31:2


‎"What we have once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Keller