A Repurposed Heart

Words and Light
The world wants to convince you that you are all

alone,

but there is more to the story.
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Beautiful Things Happen When Words Meet Light

Chapter One

I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why despite having a family who loved me, a God who redeemed me, and friends who encouraged me, I often still felt alone. There was still this sadness inside I could not explain. A disconnect. A longing. A hope searching for something. I should be full of joy with all these blessings. I had Jesus, and according to what everyone told me and taught me, that was enough for happiness. I wasn't supposed to feel this way. Life was supposed to be good. I was supposed to be good. I was supposed to be joyful.

But I wasn't. I was empty.

So, I started asking why. I started listening harder. I started searching—knowing there had to some answer I had missed. I started searching within the one thing I knew well. The words.

Chapter One

I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why despite having a family who loved me, a God who redeemed me, and friends who encouraged me, I often still felt alone. There was still this sadness inside I could not explain. A disconnect. A longing. A hope searching for something. I should be full of joy with all these blessings. I had Jesus, and according to what everyone told me and taught me, that was enough for happy. I wasn't supposed to feel this way. Life was supposed to be good. I was supposed to be good. I was supposed to be joyful.

But I wasn't. I was empty.

So, I started asking why. I started listening harder. I started searching—knowing there had to something I was missing. I started searching within the one thing I knew well. The words.

It All Started with

The Search Begins

I always found peace in writing things down. When I was younger, I loved journaling and writing stories and poems. I found my best self among my written words. But then . . . life. I had not written much of anything in years except a to-do list. I had just been going through the motions like everyone else, just trying to survive. As I began my search for whatever was missing, I returned to writing and looked within my love for words. The story I started with was my own. And what I found within it was His.

When my words met my faith, I could begin to see my life through His eyes. I could see my purpose through His why instead of the one I had been chasing for so long. And the day I allowed my gifts to meet my God, everything changed. I had let God redeem my heart, but I had never let Him repurpose it. Once I did, my words had new meaning.

The Search Begins

I always found peace in writing things down. When I was younger, I loved journaling and writing stories and poems. I found my best self among my written words. But then . . . life. I had not written much of anything in years except a to-do list. I had just been going through the motions like everyone else, just trying to survive. As I began my search for whatever was missing, I returned to writing and looked within my love for words. The story I started with was my own. And what I found within it was His.

When my words met my faith, I could begin to see my life through His eyes. I could see my purpose through His why instead of the one I had been chasing for so long. And the day I allowed my gifts to meet my God, everything changed. I had let God redeem my heart, but I had never let Him repurpose it. Once I did, my words had new meaning.

WriteThrough Yours

A New Chapter

I wasn't lonely anymore. Instead of just sitting in the dark, living my faith from a distance, I started walking in search of the light. I actively searched for hope in a story riddled with hardships and mistakes and regrets—my story. I found it when I saw myself through His eyes. And I found it when I saw other people like me. People sitting in the loneliness of a crowded room, praying for someone to understand how they felt, desperately looking for a reason for it to matter. I wanted them to be able to see what I could see. I wanted them to know they could search for light in their story too. So I wrote. I shared. I told. My pain. My fears. My mistakes. My regrets. My joy. My heart.

My redeemed heart. My repurposed heart. A heart that now had a mission through my words. His mission. To speak out loud about the hard things in my story and to search for the light within it so others could see. So they may know, they have never been alone.

A New Chapter

I wasn't lonely anymore. Instead of just sitting in the dark, living my faith from a distance, I started walking in search of the light. I actively searched for hope in a story riddled with hardships and mistakes and regrets—my story. I found it when I saw myself through His eyes. And I found it when I saw other people like me. People sitting in the loneliness of a crowded room, praying for someone to understand how they felt, desperately looking for a reason for it to matter. I wanted them to be able to see what I could see. I wanted them to know they could search for light in their story too. So I wrote. I shared. I told. My pain. My fears. My mistakes. My regrets. My joy. My heart.

My redeemed heart. My repurposed heart. A heart that now had a mission through my words. His mission. To speak out loud about the hard things in my story and to search for the light within it so others could see. So they may know, they have never been alone.

Search forin the Story

The Story Continues

And after that life was perfect! Nope. I have a little secret for you. Repurposed isn’t perfect. The joy I discover, the wisdom that I gain, the hope I hold on to, and the light that I find often slips right through my hands. There are days the trouble of this world and the critic in my head overwhelm me and leave me sitting right back in the dark. The only thing I can do is renew my mind, stand back up, and try again. To renew the search. No matter how dark it gets, I will still be here, authentically telling about the struggle and the light. I pray every day I find the light to reach for. And I pray every day I can give some to you, perfect or not.

“There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

~ Edith Wharton

My Light Source

It would be so easy to just go with the flow of the world, continuing to feel small and alone. But my God says that is not who I am. I am His. I am the Daughter of a King. Blessed in His sight. And I am never alone for He walks with me in and out of the fire. These are His promises for me. These are also His promises for you. His words are what keep me looking toward the source of the light even on the darkest days. And I have good news, there is plenty to share.

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”

~ Desmond Tutu

Words vs. Light

People have asked why I separate Words and Light here if my purpose is to blend them together. The easy answer? Because I rarely stay in my lane. I love to write everything—poems, fiction, nonfiction, devotionals, short stories, and more. And while they are all inspirational arrows pointing to the light of the story, a little direction for the journey never hurts.

Some days a heart needs serious study, emotional truths, and thought-provoking stories of life and learning. Other days, a heart may need something to lighten the load, to find words that bring laughter, to travel a path of imagination, or to read something short and to the point. By gathering my stories under Words or Light, you can choose the adventure your heart is looking for today.

Words

Is it words of inspiration that you seek?

Tell Me a Story

Join me as I explore the things that matter through words. Sometimes they are mine, sometimes they are the wisdom and inspiration of another. These longer stories will bring you along for the journey.

Light

Or something on the lighter side?

Time to Shine

These shorter pieces are quick reads when you are looking for something lighter. Choose a funny anecdote, a memorable quote, or a leadership tool to shine new light upon the words, making them shine and brighten your day.

“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.”

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

“Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts.”

~ Leo Tolstoy

Ready to Find Your Favorite?

From flash fiction to slice-of-life, there is a little something for everyone. Find your favorite story now.

Show, Don’t Tell

Writers are often guided to show and not tell their stories. What if we took that same advice in all that we do?

Heavy Hearts

Surrounded by struggle? Feeling overwhelmed in your attempts to help everyone? We must remember sometimes it is not our shift to take.

Chasing Francis

Chasing Francis is a truth-teller about the struggles of our faith and the story of one man\'s journey to redefine it.
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