Read alongside the book
Choose a reflection below and walk through Through the Wilderness one poem and one honest devotion at a time.
Get the BookYour eight-week path
Every poem in the book has its own place in this journey. Open one week at a time, or view the complete poem-by-poem path.
Explore by what you’re walking through
Choose a path from the guide at the end of the book to see its corresponding poem devotionals.
Maps Through the Wilderness
These poem devotionals are grouped together in the guide at the end of Through the Wilderness.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
You might recognize what it is like to have felt so emotionally scattered that you wanted to hide from your own thoughts? Pain can make numbness feel safer than remaining present inside yourself.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
This may feel familiar: you have heard an old insult in your own voice long after the person who spoke it was gone? Some words remain because we slowly began treating them as facts.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
Have you ever felt as though everyone else had already decided who you should be? Performing a role can keep the peace while quietly separating you from your real voice.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
There are moments when you have walked through a crowded room wondering how many people were hiding behind practiced smiles just like you? We can become skilled at looking present while feeling invisible.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
You might recognize what it is like to have assumed you had lost God’s light because you could no longer see the road clearly? Confusion can make faithful presence feel like absence.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
Have you ever caught your reflection and recognized a parent in your expression, laughter, or way of caring? Inheritance can arrive through the smallest details.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
There are moments when you have believed you were the black sheep—the one expected to wander too far to belong? Shame often assigns exile before anyone offers grace.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
Have you ever heard your past knocking with old names and accusations, asking you to become who you used to be? Familiar lies can sound convincing even after freedom begins.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
You might recognize what it is like to have noticed that pain feels different when someone else finally witnesses it? Being seen can bring comfort and vulnerability at the same time.
Poem Devotional · Through the Wilderness
You might recognize what it is like to have realized that the thorns you grew for protection were also keeping you from receiving love? Survival can defend the seed while eventually restricting its growth.
Until the next step
Whether you are reading along in the book or joining these reflections here, thank you for allowing me to walk beside you.