Nothing –
that endless pit of despair
consuming, feasting on my sadness like a tick on my soul
This was the place I dwelt for months
Nearly unable to do anything but weep
A friend encouraged me to attend a weekly prayer time for moms
I agreed since nothing else was working and crying was becoming a full-time job with no chance of promotion
Nothing –
That’s how I entered the room at the church
devoid of all hope, ashamed of my grief and dashed dreams
Nothing but Kleenex hid my tears
Unable to even wear mascara because all it did was smudge
And during that sacred time of lifting up other moms’ burdens to the Lord
Only for an hour, nothing fancy or fake
Simply a bunch of real moms who believed
They joined me praying and understanding
No judgement or condemnation
Just love and compassion
I learned I wasn’t alone
My situation and sorrow were different but gosh, we had a lot in common
Suddenly I was able to wear makeup, laugh, see hope and promise
Nothing but the prayers of others
And the inclining ear of God
Gave me the courage to praise the Lord on a beautiful Saturday when my son and his wife were married
I wore a smile as I walked down the aisle
My orange hair, freckle face olive shoot escorted me
And I wore mascara
A silk dress given to me by one of those praying ladies
Nothing stole my joy that morning. Everything about this journey is testimony to my Savior God who rescues and redeems.
For you – We probably haven’t met but I pray that you are encouraged today hearing some of my story. Your cir- 
cumstances are different than mine but the Lord cares about you as much as He does me!
Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Five minute Friday – a group of people who are given a word and then write about it for five (or so) minutes. Check out the other thought-provoking posts here.
My Awesome Olive Shoots 
What a poignant post about turning around your nothing into something glorious! My first time here, I dropped in from FMF. Loved visiting your warm and welcoming blog.
Thanks Sherrey! I am nothing without Jesus and He has a long history of using my multiple nothings to make something extraordinary. Bless you!
Beautiful and honest… and such a testimony of prayer and community! We are neighbors over at Lisa Jo’s today and I am so glad that we are!
Yes Karrilee, it was incredible! I hate to even think of where I’d be if I didn’t know the Lord or find comfort from His people! Thank you!
Love how you capture beauty from ashes, everything out of nothing, with your words! Or God is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever imagine! Blessings to you, dear sister in Christ!
What a great post and testimony!! The power of prayer and community is amazing! I will be walking the aisle with my son soon at his wedding…there will be tears…bittersweet happy tears of joy for all the years we prayed for him and his future wife. Wonder if I will be brave enough for mascara that day!
Brenn, congratulations! I am a frequent cryer and to my relief, I was not a ridiculous mess as I walked down the aisle! It is a beautiful thing to be able to celebrate these special times and relfect on the ones ahead! Put the mascara on, you can do it! Bless you!
Oh wow! Am I glad I stopped by! If I remember correctly we commented back and forth over a post I had on my site…an identity quiz about Rahab which I followed up with a testimony about believing God for my sons’ future wives. Remember? How crazy that I stumbled on this post here in the wee hours of the morning when I shouldn’t even be on the computer (see my FMF post). CONGRATULATIONS, cyber friend! A thousand congratulations to you. You and your son look so wonderful! I pray God’s richest blessings on the union of your son and his wife and her union within your family. May she prove to be a Ruth-like daughter-in-law to you. And…love the mascara!
So nice of you to stop by Lisa! It was a beautiful wedding and my honor to speak so highly about how the Lord restored and gave us more than we ever imagined! I pray for Ruth-like DIL’s. That was my MIL’s name btw and it was also a Scripture verse we used in our wedding and I was not a born-again believer at the time! God sure has a way about Him, doesn’t He? Thank you for your kind words! Mascara is a testimony to God’s faithfulness!