06/08/2026
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9
When I first became a widow, I thought this verse was telling me to be stronger.
Now I think it is reminding me that I am not alone.
Joshua was standing at the end of a chapter he never wanted to close. Moses was gone. The future looked different than he expected. He was being asked to move forward into territory he had never navigated before.
As widows, we understand that feeling.
We had plans.
We had dreams.
We thought we knew what the future would look like.
Then everything changed.
What comforts me is that God did not tell Joshua the journey would be easy. He did not tell him he would never feel afraid. He did not tell him he would always feel brave.
Instead, He gave him a promise:
"The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Wherever widowhood takes you.
Through the paperwork.
Through the holidays.
Through the loneliness.
Through the firsts.
Through the rebuilding.
Through the life you never expected to live.
God is there.
Sometimes I think we focus so much on "be strong and courageous" that we miss the reason Joshua could be strong and courageous in the first place.
He wasn't walking alone.
Neither are we.
Love you, widow friends. ❤️
