Have you ever noticed how the world is more beautiful after a storm? The torrential rainfalls cleanse the air. Once the clouds migrate to the east, they leave behind the freshest scent that no scented candle, perfume or laundry detergent can duplicate, no matter how they advertise. The ground, saturated with its drink, brings forth a more verdant shade of green and colorful flowers carpet the fields in shades of pink, yellow, purple, red and others. Rich colors soak the world and a quiet calm settles where once was din and howl. The birds cautiously emerge, sending out a few test cheeps before bursting forth into a song of rejoicing that the storm is over, and they withstood yet another tempest.

My friends, in my absence on my social medias, blogging and all other online presence, I've been the timid bird withstanding a tempest. For me, sadly, the tempest was not an hour-long thunderstorm, but something akin to a hypercane with storm surges that plundered what was once my peaceful life. While I don't intend to share anything personal on any social media platform or in any of my blog posts or novel write-ups, I do wish to say that there were times when I felt the storm would never end, and that I was just trapped on some sort of eternal raging storm, like that one on Jupiter that just never quits. I relinquished all hope of ever seeing a sunrise and surrendered to the midnight which caked my day-to-day existence. But through it all, there was one thing that I clung to, grip slipping at times, but the only thing that acted like a gurney to carry my through.

My Savior.

How many times I cried out to Him for deliverance, bleated for comfort from His staff and rod, and spread my hopeless emptiness at His feet and begged him to change it. Well, my friends, I can officially say something. He did.

The thunder let up. The lightning went from strobe-light consistency to an occasional flicker. The rains turned from waterfalling from the sky to a gentle patter. Then the sun finally began to emerge.

I can't say that I'm fully under a blanket of blue sky. But I can say that the Lord heard my cry in the midst of my hypercane and answered. One of my favorite verses was from Micah. "But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me." Micah 7:7-8.

I didn't write this blog post to whine about my storm or my troubles. I did mention them partly to explain why I have been little more than crickets on my social media accounts, of late. But I also wanted to quietly and humbly, yet publicly thank the Lord for hearing my cry and lifting me out of the pit.

I also wanted to give you hope, dear readers. Hope that whatever your situation might be, that there is still hope. I know as you read this, your situation may be similar to mine, where you think that this raging storm will never let up, that this is your life for the rest of your days and that sunrises are a thing of the past. But my dear reader, I beg you, do not give up hope. I felt the same way, that I would never see a better day. And the only reason that I have was because God is merciful. He heard my cry. And He can hear yours, too.

Our God comforts. Delivers. Sometimes through and sometimes out of, but He delivers. If you are in a despairing situation, I urge you to cry out for Him. Deliverance may not come the next day or the following week, but remember what Micah's verse said. "I wait for the Lord." "Though I fall, I will rise. Though I walk in darkness, the Lord is a light for me."

Even if you're still in your tempest, the Lord God is right there with you. Hold on, cling to Him. Ask for prayer from your trusted brothers or sisters. And if you have no one, as sometimes we walk alone, feel free to reach out to me on one of my socials and I'll add you to my prayer list.

With the personal note aside, I wanted to let my readers know that I'm slowly starting to get back into this side of my life again. The Lord God not only delivers, but He heals, and as I'm walking through a healing journey, I'm starting to do things I enjoy again and not just as a duty. I'm reactivating the socials that I previously left unattended, and I hope to see you on some of them!

My latest adventure was seeking out a website and I came across the ko-fi website. I'm delighted to say that I now have a place where my books are for sale and you can actually find them, rather than wading through the confusion that Etsy has become. On my ko-fi account, you can follow me. I plan to post weekly videos and do blog posts in between where I can. You can find me at https://ko-fi.com/autumnslaght

I'm going to be updating my readers more on what I'm doing as well. There are so many exciting things planned that I hope you are able to be a part of them. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and I hope to see a lot more of you, soon! Take care now.

In Christ's service,

Autumn Slaght