Serenity in Suffering

Finding Peace and Purpose in the Storms of Life

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My Vision

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Top Posts

Come Rest Awhile!

How thrilled I am that you stopped by! Please stay a bit and get acquainted. Sometimes you just need a little space to breathe. I’ve created a peaceful place of rest among friends where you can feel safe, seen and heard. Please take a moment to look around and find some encouragement or advice!

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Latest from the Blog

  • footprints in the sand, Eyes on the shepherd: walking in step with the spirit
    Eyes on the Shepherd: Walking in Step with the Spirit
  • close up of cup of coffee with heart in the cream, finding God in a cup of coffee
    Finding God in a Cup of Coffee
  • silhouette of woman facing toward light, turning toward the light when darkness falls
    Turning Toward the Light When Darkness Falls
  • woman in white dress looking over lavender fields, the patient art of becoming
    The Patient Art of Becoming
  • sunset over lake, purple flowers in foreground, When God Waits for You
    When God Waits for You
  • black butterfly on yellow flowers, the simplicity of surrender
    The Simplicity of Surrender
  • Close up pink rose, psalms of lament, our refuge of hope in suffering
    Psalms of Lament: Our Refuge of Hope in Suffering
  • woman with long hair looking out window, find the comfort you need now
    Find the Comfort You Need Now
  • woman in red skirt running with balloons, the god who births laughter
    The God Who Births Laughter

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    Hi I'm Donna

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    Welcome to Serenity in Suffering; a safe place to be heard, known and experience personal growth and freedom in the hard places of life.

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    Recent Posts

    • Eyes on the Shepherd: Walking in Step with the Spirit
    • Finding God in a Cup of Coffee
    • Turning Toward the Light When Darkness Falls
    • The Patient Art of Becoming
    • When God Waits for You

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    Have you ever given a gift to someone eager to see Have you ever given a gift to someone eager to see their surprise when they opened it, but they simply set it aside "for later"?⁣
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Even though after they open it "later" you will receive heartfelt thanks, it will feel hollow after being denied the joy of watching them open your carefully chosen and wrapped with love gift for them.⁣
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One morning recently as I sat in contemplative prayer, God spoke this very message to me.⁣
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He asked me the question about giving a gift to someone, but them not opening it with me.⁣
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As the picture came into my mind, He told me that is how he feels when I fail to linger with Him in the morning. I never miss a day of prayer and bible reading, but often I will rush through, or fail to sit and listen.⁣
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Each day is a gift from God, wrapped with His unfailing love and Presence. Many days have the beaming bow of a glorious sunrise too.⁣
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Nothing delights God more than when we sit intentionally with Him and unwrap that gift with Him. Gazing into what He has planned for us that day, while sharing our wishes and fears too.⁣
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Holding this picture in my mind gave me a new understanding of God's perspective on how I spend the first moments of my day.⁣
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How does this metaphor resonate with you? I would love to hear in the comments!
    When was the last time you received a gift, you di When was the last time you received a gift, you did not deserve?⁣
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On a recent walk, I soaked in the splendor of this gorgeous autumn season in my area, capturing the pictures shared here.⁣
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Overcome with the spectacular colors—can you believe the orange leaves against that blue sky?⁣
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I felt as though I was feasting on God's goodness. My heart full of gratitude, I began singing praise songs and hymns, thanking Him for the blessing of beholding the stunning beauty before me.⁣
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Then I turned a corner and stopped in my tracks.⁣
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I stood face to face with a scrawny lilac bush I had passed dozens of times, feeling sorry for its condition and lack of blooms this past spring.⁣
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Only there it was in full bloom! Their intoxicating fragrance mingled with the musty aroma of fallen leaves was almost magical.⁣
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This moment may not seem like much, but lilacs are my favorite flower and to see them in bloom out of season, to see them bloom in my favorite season of autumn, was not only a glimmer of grace, but a gift of grace.⁣
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Grace is God's unmerited favor—something we neither earn nor deserve but is graciously lavished upon us by a loving God for His pure delight.⁣
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Why were the lilacs blooming? I don't know. But what I do know is, nothing is too hard for God. ⁣
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He knows us so intimately, and loves us so completely, His grace overflows into our lives to remind us He is infinitely delighted in us, even when we deserve it the least.⁣
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What glimmers of grace is God leaving along your path today? Tell me in the comments!
    Have you ever stepped onto a familiar path and sti Have you ever stepped onto a familiar path and still felt uncertain about what lies ahead?⁣
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Whether the quiet predictability of a morning walk or the emotional terrain of a hospice shift, each day holds unknowns. ⁣
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I walk many such paths—some lined with routine, others shadowed by sorrow or surprise. And yet, no matter how well-worn the way, true clarity comes only when walking in step with the Spirit of God.⁣
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Join me on the blog for my new post, "Eyes on the Shepherd: Walking in Step with the Spirit", where I share a personal experience and a practical way to find certainty on uncertain paths. Link in bio!
    Celebrating Glimmers of Grace with my favorite aut Celebrating Glimmers of Grace with my favorite autumn breakfast:⁣
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Homemade Italian walnut bread with butter and fresh pumpkin puree and cinnamon. This is a family recipe I make often with toasted walnuts.⁣
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Feta cheese, the last of my orange candy grape tomatoes from my neighbor's garden next door, and a sliced persimmon.⁣
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Persimmons are one of my absolute favorite fruits. We had two large persimmon trees in our yard when we lived in Albania on the mission field.⁣
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I personally love them green, but the Albanian students who stopped by our house wouldn't touch them until they were deep orange and mushy.⁣
I laugh when I remember them standing in our yard under the trees hands and chins dripping with the juicy fruit.⁣
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Persimmons become sweeter as they ripen and are one of the few fruits you can eat in all stages from green to [almost] rotten!⁣
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This breakfast eaten on a sunny porch watching the leaves floating down all around- Sheer heaven.⁣
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Where are you seeing glimmers of God's grace today?
    Have you ever stepped onto a familiar path and sti Have you ever stepped onto a familiar path and still felt uncertain about what lies ahead? ⁣
⁣
Whether the quiet predictability of a morning walk or the emotional terrain of a hospice shift, each day holds unknowns.⁣
I walk many such paths—some lined with routine, others shadowed by sorrow or surprise. ⁣
⁣
And yet, no matter how well-worn the way, true clarity comes only when walking in step with the Spirit of God.⁣
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As we keep our eyes on God, we remain in step with His Spirit and are directed to the fulfilling of His purpose. ⁣
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We also become positioned to view the glimmers of grace He places in our paths.⁣
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Join me on the blog where I share a personal experience of God's speaking into my day and the unexpected result of my following Him. Link in bio!
    👉Are you in a season of uncertainty? 🫣Me to 👉Are you in a season of uncertainty?

🫣Me too.

💜But in the midst of the uncertainty, I know two things that are certain.

👉First, I am not alone. And neither are you. God promises to never leave us nor abandon us.

He is with us now in our uncertainty, but He also goes before us to prepare the way.

💜He is also waiting for us with comfort if our journey ends in hard news and rejoicing if it ends in happy news.

👉Second, I am certain God is faithful to His promises. Like the one in Isaiah 41:13:

"I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you."

🙏💜Let this truth transform your uncertainty into the certain reality of God's Presence, Provision, and unfailing love for you today.

🌼Tag someone below who needs to hear this!

#serenityinsuffering #uncertainty #anxiety #hope #faith #help #godspresence #godslove
    A reminder of life's beauty in the midst of death. A reminder of life's beauty in the midst of death.⁣
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Each day I try to stay alert for simple ways beauty peeks into my moments, especially the hard moments.⁣
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Today during my shift at the hospice inpatient center, after witnessing the deep decline of a favorite patient, I wandered into the kitchen area to make lunch for a newly arrived patient and saw this tiny vase of flowers.⁣
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After witnessing the ruthlessness of death just moments before, the reminder of the beauty of life soothed my sadness with hope.⁣
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“𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, ‘𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?'” – John 11:25-26⁣
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Where have you encountered the beauty of God's presence today? let me know in the comments!
    How well do you know the voice of God?⁣ ⁣ 👉 How well do you know the voice of God?⁣
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👉A crucial component to relationship building of any kind especially knowing God more fully involves deep listening. ⁣
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♥On my own journey of deep listening, I am first centered on hearing God’s voice more clearly, and secondarily gifting others with compassionate listening. ⁣
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🍁Creating space for moments of deep listening for God’s voice, I discovered listening when nature speaks tunes my ears to nuances of God’s own voice.⁣
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👉Though many imagine the power of God’s voice speaking creation into existence; God’s voice within nature brings incredible peace to chaotic moments.⁣
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🙏Diligent listening when nature speaks, improved my discernment of God’s voice and increased my ability to engage in deep listening with others.⁣
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👉Check out my new Substack post where I share my journey along with practical tips you can use in your own. Link in bio!
    Are you feeling overwhelmed?⁣ ⁣ 👉Life feels Are you feeling overwhelmed?⁣
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👉Life feels hard some days, yet we push on trying to do all the things. Until we feel empty and exhausted.⁣
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😓That's me today. I told the Lord I just couldn't take one more step today. And you know what He said?⁣
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♥"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘖𝘒 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭."⁣
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👉I glanced down at my coffee cup, and there were the words of Psalm 23:3:⁣
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🍁"𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭."⁣
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👉Does this resonate with you? If so, receive the same invitation, let go of the hard things, rest, breathe.⁣
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♥Turn your thoughts to something you cherish and brings joy to your heart. Allow God's unfailing love and goodness to wrap you in comfort today.⁣
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🙏He will restore your soul.⁣
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👉What burden can you set aside right now to rest and breathe in God's restorative love?
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