"You have survived so many things to be here. You have traveled through raging seas and desert winds, and you have found hope to carry on, again and again."

One day you will be able
to look back and see
that now,
after everything,
you are standing on a mountain
you never thought you would make it to,
you are standing above the clouds
you never thought you would make it through
and all by grace, you are where you need to be,
and the heart has what it needs:
not perfection, but peace,
and a daily opportunity
to believe
in better things.

—

I am not sure what things have been like lately for you, but I do hope that you can continue to hope for better. I do hope you know that in the wild of all the things that have not made sense to you, this is still true: you have seen so many things in your life, but you have not seen it all. There is more to see ahead, in both the extraordinary and the small.

I hope that you can keep your eyes open, and in every single moment you do, you are aware of just how much strength it takes to be alive in this space. And may you never discredit yourself for all that your are pouring in, and the subtle and grand ways that you have exhibited grace-filled strength.

You have survived so many things to be here. You have traveled through raging seas and desert winds, and you have found hope to carry on, again and again.

I am not sure if there are people in your life who notice this. I don’t know if someone has told you that the mere fact that you keep choosing to show up everyday matters more than you know. But whether or not anyone has told you, I hope that you can believe in the depths of your heart.

This world can be a lonely place at times, even with ten thousand people around you. It can still make you feel that you do not have what it takes to survive and that you are only one in a number. A hundred people could know you by name, but a million more do not. And there are some days, where you just feel the weight of that, and it makes you feel a little small.

But no matter what, I hope you remember the strength within you...the strength of your story that has risen from everything you have been through. You may be surrounded by people who are also learning to be strong, but that does not take anything away from who you have a been all along: a courageous human being who is growing in strength as grace, exactly in the way she was meant to.

So do not be troubled when your strength does not look like you thought it would. Do not be discouraged by the days or the seasons when you feel a little weak. Even then, you are still headed where you need to be. You are still stronger than you were last year. You are still moving forward, beyond the boundaries of your fears.

I know it can feel a little intimidating out here, and you do not feel as equipped as you hoped that you would be, but all by grace, you will have what you need to carry on this journey with courage and the audacity to hope for better things…because you are stronger than you think. You are stronger than you think.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols