I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled Monday programming today. Dr. Buttersworth will survive. I’m reasonably certain he’ll have another conjunction to investigate next week.
Today, though, I want to speak to you personally.
If you are walking through a difficult season with your mental or emotional health, struggling with addiction or recovery, carrying grief or trauma, battling fear or shame, or simply finding that some days are much harder than others, I want you to know that you were on my mind when I wrote Sanctuary Devotional: A Mental Health Journey Towards Hope & Healing.
And if that doesn’t describe you, perhaps it describes someone you love.
I know something about these challenges personally. I also know them through 21 years of pastoral ministry and, over the past decade, collaboratively writing content for mental health providers and practitioners. For the last three years in particular, I’ve written daily devotional reflections specifically for people who are struggling—brief, Scripture-centered reminders of hope, grace, and God’s presence in the midst of difficult seasons. Those reflections, and the people they were written for, became the inspiration behind Sanctuary Devotional.
I didn’t write Sanctuary Devotional because I believe a devotional book makes our struggles magically disappear. I wrote it because I believe God meets us in them.
I personally know the difference a daily reminder of God’s love, grace, and mercy can make. I know the importance of making room—even just a few minutes—in the rhythms of an ordinary day to remember that God is present. That He sees. That He cares. That whatever I may be feeling at this particular moment, my feelings don’t get the final word about who God is, who I am, or whether hope remains.
Sometimes we need to be reminded.
That’s what this book is intended to do, one day at a time.
Each of the 365 readings begins in Scripture and offers a brief reflection you can carry with you throughout the day or take with you into the night. Along the way, you’ll also encounter words from great men and women of faith—people who knew something themselves about suffering, discouragement, doubt, grief, weakness, and the sometimes-difficult journey of trusting God, and the need for a reminder: God is here.
If you’re struggling right now, I’d gently invite you to take a look at Sanctuary Devotional. Give it a chance. Spend a few minutes each day turning your attention toward the God who loves you.
“Taste and see that the LORD is good,” the psalmist wrote (Psalm 34:8).
Not figure everything out. Not fix yourself first. Not pretend everything is okay. But come and see for yourself!
If you’re doing well right now, would you think for a moment about the people around you?
Your spouse. Your child. Your parent. A friend. A coworker. Someone in recovery. Someone grieving. Someone whose smile may be hiding a much heavier story. Someone who could use a gentle, daily reminder that hope is still possible.
Perhaps Sanctuary Devotional isn’t something you need today.
But someone you love might.
Please send them the link. Tell them about the book. Give them a copy. Better still, perhaps offer to walk through it with them. Sometimes one of the most loving things we can say is simply, “You don’t have to walk this road by yourself. I’ll walk some of it with you.”
That, in many ways, is what I hope this book can be as well: a companion for the journey.
A few minutes each day. A little Scripture. A little encouragement. A reminder of grace. Another reason to hope. A reminder: You are not alone. You are loved. And God has not lost sight of you.
Sanctuary Devotional: A Mental Health Journey Towards Hope & Healing is available now on Amazon.
Take a look. And if someone you love needs to hear this, please share it with them.
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