Hard-Pressed, But Not Crushed

It's like a lifeline we are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed. Perplexed,

but not in despair. Persecuted, but not abandoned. Struck down, but not destroyed.

I never thought scripture would feel so personal, like it was written for me right now

in this empty house. Some days the silence is heavy. It's like a weight on my chest.

The echoes of laughter that used to fill these rooms, they haunt me. I won't lie,

I've felt pressed, squeezed by memories and regrets. But I'm not crushed, I'm still here.