4 Reasons to Keep Going

When you feel tired, lonely, or lost.

Friends & fellow dreamers,

A few years ago, I wrote “Four Reasons to Keep Living,” a piece born from my year of unemployment while living rent-free at a former professor’s home. Her hospitality was life-saving, yet I faced some of the darkest days I’ve ever known.

I happened upon a great grace, though: books that became gentle companions, including Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazerro, Dark Night of the Soul (the poem by St. John of the Cross), and The Best Yes by Lisa TerKeurst.

These writers gave voice to my pain and loneliness while shaping a deep commitment to hope in me. With chronic pain and illness (both mental and physical), there are still many days when I want to give up. But I’ve committed to being that writer who companions others, helping them believe there is always a reason to keep going. I believe in my bones there is great heavenly beauty, goodness, and hope in store for us—even if we can’t see or feel it right now.

During a week when I’ve faced discouragement again, I decided to revise this piece for you. If you’re feeling tired, lonely, or lost today, here are four reasons to keep going:

See how you feel in the morning

The earth and our body work in cycles and seasons of death and renewal. What you are and feel now is not what you will be and feel forever.

Experience beauty

Beauty softens us, reawakening us to life. Who can say why the wonder of the sea or a favorite song can reduce us to tears? Somehow, I think beauty reminds us we are loved.

Discover joy

Everyone encounters joy in different places, whether feasting with a group of friends, climbing bucket list mountains, or reading Brambly Hedge books to a friend’s toddlers—the friend who never thought she’d have a family. Joy is hidden all around you. But you have to say “yes” most days to unearth it.

Watch the story unfold

Reading good books helps us recognize themes in our own life story and draw courage from protagonists who have gone before (fictional or not).“When you recognize that life can be viewed as a story,” said a favorite professor of mine, “you gain agency to craft—within certain limits—what that story will mean. There are many events in the story that you can’t control, but you do have power over connecting your story to the infinite number of stories around you and to the Great Story of God’s working in the world.”

No matter how you’re feeling today, let’s lock arms and hold onto hope fiercely together.

🌿 If you’d like, share this piece with a friend who may also need encouragement! Check out the reel for this post on Instagram.

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*Due to health issues, my ability to engage in traditional work is currently limited, making this publication a true labor of love. I would love to continue writing while on my health journey, so if you feel led to support my creative work/ministry in this way, I would be honored!