Take Heart, Dear One.

Inspired by the Gathered Grace watercolor card, “Strength for Every Step.”

A Little Piece of History

Before L. Frank Baum became known as the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he experienced several discouraging chapters of his own.

Baum and his family moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 1888. While living there, he opened a department store called Baum’s Bazaar. When the store failed, he became the editor of the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer. That venture failed as well, and in 1891, Baum and his family left South Dakota for Chicago.

At the time, those years may have looked like little more than a string of disappointments. Yet failure did not have the final word over Baum’s story. He continued writing, and in 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published. The book became an immediate success and eventually grew into one of America’s most enduring fairy tales.

The road that appeared to be leading Baum nowhere was not the end of his journey. There were still pages waiting to be written.

Devotional

We often assume that if God is leading us, the road before us should be clear. Doors should open. Plans should succeed. The next step should make sense.

But sometimes the road God allows us to travel looks nothing like the one we would have chosen. It carries us through disappointment, uncertainty, closed doors, and seasons when our prayers seem to be met with silence. We begin to wonder whether we misunderstood God—or whether the difficult chapter in front of us has somehow become the conclusion of our story.

Yet Scripture does not tell us to take heart because every circumstance will immediately improve. It tells us to take heart because our hope rests in the Lord.

God sees beyond the stretch of road visible beneath our feet. He knows how one season is preparing us for another. He can use disappointments to redirect us, delays to deepen us, and even apparent failures to lead us toward work we could not yet imagine.

Taking heart does not mean pretending that the journey is easy. It means choosing to believe that God remains faithful when the road is difficult. It means placing one foot in front of the other, trusting that the One who called us forward already knows where the road leads.

Perhaps the chapter you are walking through feels unfinished—or even unsuccessful. But what looks like an ending from where you stand may simply be a turning in the road.

Dear one, be strong and take heart. God is still writing your story, and He is not finished yet.

A Little Something to Gather

Is there a disappointment or closed door you have mistakenly viewed as the end of your story?

This week, write it down and offer it back to God. Ask Him to strengthen your heart and help you take the next faithful step—even if you cannot yet see where it will lead.

Scripture

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.”

—Psalm 31:24 NLT

Prayer

Lord, strengthen my heart when the road ahead feels uncertain. Help me trust that You are present in every unfinished chapter and that nothing placed in Your hands is wasted. Give me courage to release my disappointments, place my hope in You, and take the next faithful step. Amen.