Bitterness is like a weed. Remember how hard it always was to pull out thistles once they root? Remember how deep those roots grow, and how if you just snapped off the end of it, the plant would grow right back? You have to dig down deep inside. Let God search your heart. Let Him show you what's there and help you root out all that bitterness. Then you can pray for forgiveness.

Scriptures were just words on a page and my prayers failed to lift.

The land promised to Abraham and his descendants is once again theirs. God always keeps His promises. Even in times of cataclysmic upheaval and change, God's love and faithfulness are unchanging.

Our trials are supposed to turn us toward God, but we whine and complain and wish someone would turn down the fire so we could have our old life back the way it was.

[God] wants us to work with Him, honey. Not for Him.

Happiness is something that comes from our own hearts, not from other people.

That's absurd," I said with a little laugh. "Nobody can read too much. That's like saying someone breathes too much.