The Story Behind “It is Well With My Soul”
The beloved hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul,” has brought deep comfort and hope to grieving hearts—yet it was born out of unimaginable loss. Its author, Horatio G. Spafford, was a successful Chicago lawyer and businessman with a devoted wife, Anna, and five children. Yet profound tragedy marked his life. In 1871, Spafford’s four-year-old […]
All That I Have is Yours
My husband asked me what I thought the saddest verse in the Bible was. He said, to him, the saddest verse was in the story of the prodigal son. The father addressed the son who stayed at home, “All that I have is yours.” (Luke 15:31) That son lived his life feeling like a slave. […]
His Bottle of Tears
Have you ever wept until you could weep no more? The female members of the population might freely admit this reaction to tragedy, disappointment, or depression. In 1 Samuel 30, we see men whose wives and children were kidnapped reacting in this same way. The grown men, brave warriors, wept with abandonment. This world, imperfect […]
The Letters
A dear friend wrote to me consistently for a solid year after our daughter’s passing. At first, the letters came every, single day. Then, at least once a week. As I read her words about her kids, her house, a recent snowfall, or the hawk that follows her on morning walks, I felt taken in, pulled close – […]
Loss
I remember the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that occurred the day after Christmas in 2004. 100-foot waves consumed the Indian Ocean coastline. The tsunami killed 227,898 people and devastated 14 countries. The total energy of the waves was equal to about five megatons of TNT – more than twice the total explosive energy used […]