I was recently given the most meaningful piece of jewelry, and I would like to share it with you. My mom commissioned my cousin Amber, a jewelry maker, for this particular long necklace.

The little yellow balls you see in the capsule are mustard seeds. This is, of course, a reference to Matthew 17:20, which says “for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Why so many seeds though? They represent the many many many friends, family, and even strangers, who have prayed for me, believed for me and my family, that God can and will move mountains for us. I am certainly surrounded by a multitude, a great cloud of witnesses, if you will, who continue to do battle on my behalf. What an amazing and humbling thing that has been for me.

There are also little seashells and sand in that box. Psalm 139 has been a great comfort to me these past months, and verse 17-18a says “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.” It is a comfort to know that my struggles, my pain, my circumstances are known to the Lord. And more than that, he cares deeply for me, is grieved along with me, and will never leave my side.

There are white and blue threads in that capsule as well. This is a reminder of Isaiah 43:19, a verse that my mom, in particular, has claimed for me. “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.” If he can make roadways in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, surely he can make awesome things come out of my current situation.

The little circle charm has the reference Joshua 1:9 stamped on it. This verse I claim for myself, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I even have “strong and courageous” tattooed on the inside of my right wrist. If we have the Lord with us at all times, we have every reason to go forth with strength and courage. We are not alone!

The final charm is a sword. The sword is a symbol of battle, which is what I am fighting. I, with the Lord and His people beside me, am fighting daily for my very life. The verse I claim to go with it is Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” This entire verse, along with an awesome sword, are tattooed on the inside of my left wrist/arm. I think it is of the utmost importance that we remember that it is the Lord who fights the battle. Which is good, because I still need a LOT of naps these days. I’m not always up for a fight.