If you’d like to join in the book club for Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson, feel free to join in at anytime. You can find the reading schedule for the 12 week book club at the end of this post, along with additional printables for each week.
Tears. Sorrow. Grief. All turned to laughter and joy with the three words, “Lazarus! Come forth!”
Where there had been disbelief and the grief that accompanied not understanding the ‘why’ behind the death of their brother, Jesus replaced it all in a moment’s time. Two sisters watched their brother emerge from his tomb full of life and the glory of God.
{I may have cried reading this retelling…I’m just sayin’}.
A Circle of Glory
Pain, sorrow, hurt and more are things that we all experience in the course of our lives. Nine years ago, my husband and I walked through a time of intense grief and sorrow. At a routine doctor’s visit, I found out that our 18 week old son had died in-utero. Alone in the office, I watched the ultrasound machine for any sign of movement and realized there was nothing.
The next few days are a blur. I delivered our son. We cradled his body in our hands. Family gathered with us to mourn and help support us as we buried him.
Our girls were young, but the one thing they do remember was our response to our loss. All that I knew to do was cry out to God ~ and worship with all of my heart. Although I didn’t understand why our son would never be a part of our family, I could only trust God with all of the sorrow and pain that my heart wasn’t even sure how to express.
And I worshipped. Poured my heart out before Him. To this day, the song “Blessed Be Your Name” is one that makes me cry. It was the song that was played constantly in our home – knowing that our hearts CHOSE to bless the Lord in all circumstances. Hope emerged in the midst of our circumstances.
You may be walking through pain in your life right now. Maybe you don’t understand why things are happening, but can I encourage your right now with a quote from Journeys of Faithfulness?
“Redemption isn’t always easy or apparent because it is God’s grace working amidst utter brokenness. But if you choose to embrace this way of walking through pain, you will see the very life of God become real in your circumstances. You will find the ability to hope where you never expected it. And you will see God strengthen your heart and guide you through the darkness.”
~ Sarah Clarkson, Journeys of Faithfulness, p. 42
Will you let Him redeem the pain and brokenness you are experiencing in your life?
A Few Book Club Links
Be sure to download a copy of the journal pages to go along with the book. For those of you reading on a Kindle or reading with your daughters, these will come in handy! Each week, I’ll be sharing the printables for the next week, so check back weekly for updates.
~ Journeys of Faithfulness book club Facebook page – come share your thoughts during the week!
~ Download a few printables here: Binder Cover, book club reading schedule, Week 1 Journal Pages, and Week 2 Journal Pages, Week 3 Journal Pages …and more coming soon!
~ Read prior Journeys of Faithfulness Book Club posts here
Link Up Your Posts
If you are a participating in the book club and are blogging your thoughts, please link up your posts below! We’d love to stop by and see what God is revealing to you through each chapter.
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