🎙️ As Heard on Latter-day Lights
Welcome! If you’re here after hearing my story on the podcast, these are the reflections and poems shared during the episode. I hope they offer a breath of fresh air for your journey today.
I almost didn’t hit record today. Like most days, my hair is in a ponytail and I’m not wearing a bit of makeup. But as I thought about the 366+ people who have watched my recent podcast interview, I realized that waiting to feel ‘perfect’ before sharing my testimony is a trap.
If you are walking the lonely road of an autoimmune disease—or any struggle that makes you feel weary—this reflection is for you. I’m sharing a snippet of my poem, Walking with God on a Lonely Road, because I want you to know that He meets us exactly as we are.
You don’t have to be polished to sit at His feet. He is in the trenches with us. I’d love to hear from you in the comments: How has He met you on your ‘lonely road’ lately?
Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.
Community Conversations
The Story Behind the Story… 🤍
I have a confession: yesterday, before my episode on Latter-Day Lights aired, I was such a bundle of nerves! As an introvert, putting my story and my heart out there for the world to see felt so vulnerable. At first, I found myself being a little critical of my words in my head.
But then, I felt a familiar, quiet peace. I felt the Spirit whisper to me that this was exactly what I was supposed to do—that I needed to share my story. My sister even told me she was surprised by how calm I sounded, and looking back at the recording from January, I felt the same way. It wasn’t my own strength; it was the peace that comes when we do what our Heavenly Father wants us to do.
My prayer is simply that my story helps even just one person feel a little more hope today.
I’d love to hear from you:Have you ever felt prompted to do something that made you nervous, but you felt a sense of peace once you did it? Please share in the comments—I’d love to hear your stories!
Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.
Community Conversations
Today is a special day! I’m so honored to share a piece of my heart, my journey of healing, and some of my original poetry on the Latter-day Lights podcast.
We talked about finding God in the metaphors of everyday life and how His grace meets us exactly where we are. You can watch or listen to the episode at the link below:
If you’re visiting for the first time after hearing the show—welcome. I’d love to hear which part of our conversation resonated with you in the comments below!
Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.
Image by Pat Whelen on unsplash.com
Author’s Note:As heard on my Latter-Day Lights interview! I’ve recently updated the title of this poem from “Walking on a Lonely Road” to “Walking with God on a Lonely Road” to better reflect the heart of this story.
Backstory: Sometimes living with an autoimmune disease can feel like walking on a lonely road all by myself with no one else around and the road goes on forever with no end in sight. Not many people understand how I feel and it’s hard to help people understand because they don’t walk in my shoes every day. I’m sure most of us have felt lonely and like no one understands us from time to time.
Walking with God on a Lonely Road
If you ever feel lonely and like no one understands how you feel, And you feel like your life has lost its appeal. Just remember that your burdens you can always share With Jesus because He is always there.
If you feel like you are walking all alone On a road all by yourself and that your cares by others are unknown. When you feel like your life is anything but fair Just remember that Jesus is always there.
If you feel like your burdens weigh you down And all you will ever do is frown. Just remember that there is One who knows the cross you bear And for you Jesus will always be there.
If you can’t imagine taking one more step forward, And you feel like with your burdens you are constantly being tortured. When you feel like you can’t walk anymore and you just have to sit down in a chair Just remember that Jesus is always there.
Even if you feel lonely and empty inside, Just know that there is always One who will be by your side. He has carried all your burdens and He knows your every care And for you Jesus is always there.
The Takeaway: I’m sure most of us have days when our burdens and trials seem too heavy for our shoulders to bear. We may even feel lonely and like no one will ever understand how we feel. During those moments, we need to remember that our Savior, Jesus Christ, will always be there to carry our burdens for us when they seem too heavy to bear. He has carried our burdens before and He will do it again. We can always count on that knowledge.
Thank you for subscribing-may these words bring a quiet moment of peace and reflection to your day.
picture by Rajeev Krishna on unsplash.com
Author’s Note:As heard on my Latter-Day Lights interview! I’ve recently updated the title of this poem from “Lord, Abide with Me“ to “The Road to My Own Emmaus” to better reflect the heart of this story.
Backstory: I read in Luke 24 an interesting story. After Jesus’ was resurrected, 2 of His disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus. Jesus came and walked and talked with them, without them recognizing who He was. They asked Him to “abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” The word abide means more than stay the night. On a deeper level it means “to dwell with, remain present and make your home with us”. They weren’t just asking Jesus to share a meal, they were in essence saying “stay with us as light fades. Don’t let us face the night alone.” This made me think of the hymn “Abide with Me”. Henry Francis Lyte who wrote the lyrics of this hymn was an Anglican priest in England in 1847. He wrote this hymn while he was gravely ill knowing he was nearing the end of his life.
The Road to My Own Emmaus
Lord Jesus, I know that I am weak on my own, Please abide with me so I am never alone. Especially as the light fades, stay with me in the darkness, Until I fall asleep and am no longer conscious.
Daily my body is in pain and weak, Please stay with me every day through the week. I have days when I feel discouraged and like darkness follows me everywhere I go, Help me feel thy Loving Light on my face so that with you I can glow.
When I am feeling like I am at the end of my rope, Please be with me so that I can always feel like there is hope. I don’t know why I have to go through the hard trials that I do, Just help me to not feel so blue.
Please be with me when I have to wait for answers to my prayers, And help me feel like you are always there. I wish that I could see You standing there beside me, And then maybe from my trials I could feel free.
I know that life isn’t meant to be easy, Help me feel like You love me deeply. I know that You do love me for who I really am on the inside, And that with me, You will always reside.
The Takeaway: There are moments in this life when we all feel alone and like no one understands what we are going through. But we are never alone because we always have our Savior who is waiting and willing to abide with us every minute of every day. We just need to invite Him into our lives and our hearts and there He will stay.
