It just so happens that I am in the middle of one of the busiest weeks of my life. I am working on launching veritasmag.com, there are three weddings that desire my design services, and my full-time job requires more of me than normal. The result is little sleep, and a lot of God’s grace.

I woke up yesterday in my normal routine. Shower, get dressed, read the Bible. I was reading Lamentations, which is some pretty sobering stuff. It isn’t the most encouraging experience to read Jeremiah’s laments over the Babylonian invasion of his homeland. But I kept reading… And then I read this:

Yet this I call to mind, and therefore have hope: because of the Lord’s great love for me, I will not be consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “the Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for man to bear the yoke while he is young. (Lamentations 3:21-27)

I was so excited that I woke up my roommate to share with her this truth. Knowing and claiming these promises gave me more energy than a latte. I was prepared for the day.

It was a long, hard day, but I was able to re-read the passage over and over and claim the promises (even if it was just the promise that it is good for me to bear the yoke while I am young). But in the end, I was just thankful that I am in the habit of reading every morning. In a week as busy as this, it seems justifiable to get a little more sleep, but if I had made that choice I would have forgone these promises and the opportunity to exercise faith in the challenging moments.