"Mercy laughed in her sleep"

My title references The Pilgrim’s Progress.

This pilgrim girl, however, does not feel she is making progress, much less laughing in her sleep.

Disrupted nights with stretches of the wide-awakes seem the norm these days as the house where we have lived for the last six years fills with boxes, towering around me the way I used to build with cardboard blocks in nursery school.

Yet a devotional I read minutes ago inspired me to write, to remind myself, and to make myself accountable to others that the “hardship” of making a big move might actually display something good.

So here’s my prayer, edited from the aforementioned devo:

“I want to surprise my family with my abundant peace; I want to delight my friends with my ever-increasing happiness; I want to edify the church with my grateful confessions, and even impress the world with the cheerfulness of my daily conversation.”

This also reminds me of words to an old hymn, “A Worthy Goal Have I.”

If I will remember mercy during the night watches, maybe I can laugh in my sleep.