holding on

 Friday, March 13, 2026 (6:26 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You for tears. Tears of hope. Joy. Sadness. Fear. And songs that lead to smiles. Again of hope, joy, sadness, fear.

♪Every Praise♪

♪Still I Hold On♪

Father, You are good. Great. Glorious. Gracious (Psalm 145:5-8). I forget that far more often than I remember. Oh, but thank You for every single time You remind me!

Like much earlier this morning when I realized I have once again lost sight of all the joy You provide.

(6:52 a.m.)

J O Y Three letters. Three steps to rediscovering what seems to be missing.

Blessed God, thank You for Your Word. Your Truth. Your promises.

Thank You for others who write [and sing] of their experiences with You. Others. And themselves. 

I confess to falling once again into the traps of expectations. Assumptions. Taking things personally. Unforgivenesses. Of myself. And others. Judgments. The list is seemingly endless.

But Your Word offers us Truth. Grace. Peace. Hope.

Father, do all You must in empowering and enabling me to put into practice the apostle Paul’s urging to the believers in Thessalonica. “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 The Message).

EasyEnglish Bible. “Always be happy. Pray at all times. Whatever may happen to you, continue to thank God. God wants you to do that, because you belong to Christ Jesus.”

Rejoice always. Always be joyful. Always be full of joy. Be full of joy all the time. Always celebrate.

Lord God, I confess to attempting to accomplish this in my own strength and power. “Big mistake. Big. Huge.” 

Keep working in, with, by, through and for me most Blessed God. I love, need, trust and want You. Use me exactly as You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(328 words ~ 7:20 a.m.)