When hard things weigh upon our hearts, one of the most dangerous (and most common) beliefs nestles deep within ourselves, whispering: I am alone.
At least, I know I’ve felt that way. You probably have, too.
I am alone on this island of anxiety. Of anger. Of fear. Of grief. Of exhaustion.
My thoughts and emotions are weighing on me.
And I can barely breathe.
We are all unfailingly, heartbreakingly human. No book you can preorder or bestselling Substack in the world can put a cherry on top of the human condition. But my hope is my writing helps you feel a little less alone. I know my words don’t fix the ache you hold or the wonderings that swirl in your mind late at night. The prayers and reflections here don’t right the wrongs held in headlines or undo all that is so very, very wrong with the world.
While I have no magical Christian elixir to spin into my words and offer on a shiny bookish platter, I do have something: Some brutally stubborn hope, folded and refolded like a letter you’ve read a thousand times and will read a million more.
And the thing about hope is that it’s contagious.
It spreads in the way we listen and really hear each other. It blooms in our hearts when we watch the blazing sun sink deep into the sea as it sets or see a baby sigh with perfect contentment before he falls asleep. It gives us strength—not to hold everything all by ourselves—but to trust that somehow, in the swirl of all of this, we can take the next breath or the next step because the fractures on our hearts won’t last forever.
I have hope for many reasons, mostly because I don’t want to live in a world where hope doesn’t exist.
I wrote Our Daily Breath Devotional: 365 Prayers and Practices that Whisper Peace in a Shouting World to be a short daily offering to help you feel a little less alone.
In all honesty, I wanted to extend a little stubborn hope.
This world is just…so much. All the time. Over and over and over again.
Our Daily Breath is a couple minutes of your day to just…breathe.
To let your breath be a prayer. To take a minute to reflect on how maybe, just maybe, hope is for you. Even with all your questions. Even with all your exhaustion.
Even here. Even now.
A couple minutes. A breath prayer. A scripture. A short reflection/meditation/devotion (choose whatever word feels more like an exhale to you). Every day, there when you need it, with dated entries that can be read as stand-alone reflections.
What would it look like to let go of the breath you’ve been holding?
Each daily page has a small callout. Sometimes it’s a little poem.
For whatever reason, the poem below from August 14 was rattling around in my head as I sat down to share with you.
I hope it helps you feel a little less alone.
When I wrote it, I was inspired by 1 Peter 4:12: “Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job.” (msg)
I hoped,
But I did not see.
I asked,
But I did not receive.
And still I hope,
And I ask,
Not because of what will be
But because I don’t want
To live in a world
Where hope doesn’t exist.
Even if you’re not a “poem person,” maybe these simple lines will mean something to you—or someone who could use a little thrifted hope of their own.
If you’re able, purchasing copies of Our Daily Breath from your retailer of choice is an amazing gift to me as an author.
If you see authors talking about preorders, rest assured it’s not because we want to inflate our egos. (I guarantee you most of us actually cringe a ton doing marketing! We just want to write!)
It’s because preorders indicate to publishers and bookstores that there is genuine demand for our work, which leads to more marketing efforts and a greater likelihood that books will be in stock and on display.
Preorders also count toward that first push of book sales, which can lead to bestseller status, which means it’s shown to more people. I know it sounds convoluted, and that’s because it is. (What an incredible but also weird job it is to be a writer!)
If you’re able to put in your order early, it genuinely means more than you know. (Yes, one book sale at a time really does matter!) I am working on some thank-you gifts as a token of my appreciation.
Log Your Preorder, Get Your Gifts!
My publisher can also offer bulk discounts, and I think Our Daily Breath would make an awesome choice for small groups, churches, book clubs, and more.
Get your copy at Bookshop
Get your copy at Amazon
Get your copy at Barnes & Noble
Get your copy at ChristianBook
Needing a bit of a reset? Below, you’ll find a breath prayer to make your own for each day of the week. You’ll also get a curated playlist about stubborn hope, prompts for personal reflection or as jumping-off points for intentional conversation, a (hopeful) spiritual formation practice, and more.
Monday
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.