#TrustinGod – Page 2

Teach me to number my days

By Sara | August 14, 2023

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Three weeks ago, David and I flew to VA Beach to meet with his urologist to receive the results of his prostate biopsy. We only stayed for two nights as my mom was visiting GA – so we couldn’t be gone long. During our return flight, I wrote a blog on my phone – one painstaking letter at a time. I wanted to capture my thoughts while they were fresh in my head and had the time to do so.

*Clear skies surrounded our plane as David and I flew back from VA Beach.*

Since we’ve been married, our days are so full that little time remains for me to write – and I miss doing so daily. Between a full work week, evenings and weekends are always spent catching up on yard duties before we return to one or the other of our houses to do the same there. Twice monthly travels between VA Beach and GA make me feel like a bit of a vagabond, but the trips are necessary. Until David’s VA Beach house is ready to sell or rent, we generally spend two to two and a half weeks at either location.

This evening, I was determined to write. At a minimum, I wanted to post the blog I’d written on the plane but never had a chance to edit and upload until finally claiming the time to do so.

And so, it was with great disappointment that I learned the words and emotions I’d captured three weeks ago were gone – vanished, deleted, irretrievably lost.

For a writer, losing words ostensibly secured in the heat of heady sentiment is tantamount to experiencing a knife wound to the gut.

And yet, I know I am exceedingly blessed. Lost words mean nothing compared to what David and I gained during our last trip.

Despite David’s grim potential cancer prognosis, what we’ve been praying for all along has been confirmed – David is cancer-free! How he went from a high probability of stage 3 or 4 prostate cancer to not one cancer cell in his body can only be laid at the feet of Christ. David is healthy, happy, and whole. Upon hearing the results in his urologist’s office, all the two of us could say was, “Yay, God!”

As we hugged and wiped the tears from our eyes before leaving the exam room, one of the staff members poked her head in to make sure we were alright. “Yes, ma’am,” I said. “We’re just happy!”

“Tears of joy,” David confirmed.

Indeed, our Heavenly Father delivered what we’d prayed and trusted God for. The Divine Physician had healed David’s body from the inside out. There’s no doubt in my mind as to the veracity of that claim.

Even David’s urologist seemed stunned. To be confident of the results, the doctor who’d performed the procedure made 24 cuts in 4 regions of David’s prostate – far more than are usually taken.

“I knew it,” I exclaimed as David’s urologist revealed his surgical findings. God has always been in complete control – and David has much more Kingdom work to do than the original prognosis seemed to allow.

*Cloudy skies prevented me from seeing below our plane’s wing.*

While flying above the clouds on our return journey to GA, I remember looking out and being struck by the cloud structures beneath us. What began as a clear sky quickly became overcast, and I could see nothing beneath us.

And yet blue sky prevailed. Above the clouds, God sees everything.

Our Creator has already foreseen what we can often only discern one foot at a time. Clear, turbulent, or stormy skies aside, God is always with us, and nothing ever takes Him by surprise. As the Apostle Matthew reminds us, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” (10:29)

*Partly cloudy skies offered only a partial view of the ground beneath our plane.*

I’ve always said that every day is a gift – even more so now that I have David to spend the rest of my days with. While every gift may not always be what I want or hope for, I’ve learned to appreciate each offering as a gesture of love presented by someone who cares. If I believe that sentiment to be true – and I do – how much more should I appreciate what my Heavenly Father gives me?

While I may have lost the words I first captured weeks ago, I know how I feel now. I am blessed beyond measure and thank God daily for his unspeakable gifts.

No matter how many days I have left to spend with my beloved husband, I value all of them. I spent too much of my life without David to ever underestimate the great worth of having him beside me now.

*David and I celebrate every moment we have together with a shared smile as we visit Jekyll Island, GA.*

May we never forget how precious our loved ones are. Each of us has only been given a defined number of days here on Earth. May we spend each of them praising God and serving our Creator.

God’s perfect timing

By Sara | June 30, 2023

Over the past few weeks, David and I were busy in VA Beach, completing two general contracting jobs elicited from former customers who’ve previously seen David’s skills in action. Although I worked with David as he completely rebuilt a storm-ravaged home in FL, post-Hurricane Ian (see Building an ark is never easy but always worth it), I’m still amazed at his ingenuity and ability to adapt. I’m thoroughly convinced that there’s nothing David can’t repair, replace, and restore.

*David’s re-screening job, before any work was done.*

The first of David’s jobs was to re-screen a massive 26-by-20-foot screen porch and fix its wooden exit doors that wouldn’t shut. His second project was to rip out concrete paving stones and create a new 14-foot artistic patio with a stone firepit centerpiece on another job site. Both contracts proved to be labor-intensive, with unique challenges to overcome.

While my help is mostly rudimentary, I enjoy assisting in whatever capacity the situation allows. I often tell people that God prepared me my whole life for working with David. I’m not afraid of manual labor and love learning new skills. Knowing I can help David as he completes these jobs is incredibly satisfying – and consistently adventurous. I never know what will happen next.

Such was the case when we began David’s porch project. Early into our labors, I noticed the gentle squawks of baby birds that seemed to be emanating from inside the enclosed area. I couldn’t determine where the source of the sound was coming from and didn’t dare look around too much.

Imagine my surprise when one of the homeowners, Jocelyn, later pointed out the unique bird nest built inside an empty cardboard box on her porch. I’d seen the momma nut thatcher earlier as she flew inside the screened area through the open back doors that wouldn’t close properly. I had even snatched a picture of this beautiful, tiny bird while helping her escape the enclosure. I remember thinking she’d entered the porch by accident. She hadn’t. After learning of her babies, I began watching her and her husband visit the nest every 10 minutes or so, bringing bugs and who knows what else to their hungry nestlings.

As our job crept into the second week with an add-on project of creating a side exit door, wooden steps, and a small concrete pad, I began wondering how we could ensure that the nestlings and their parents would still be able to reach one another once the porch was again enclosed.

“You may need to keep the back doors open when we’re done,” I advised Jocelyn one day. “That way, the parents can still enter, and the babies can get out.” As a mother herself, Jocelyn agreed and said she’d thought of the same thing.

*David begins building new steps, a doorframe, and a concrete pad* *on our first job.*

Day after day, David continued to work. Still, the babies didn’t seem anywhere near the fledgling stage.

The afternoon before David and I were to complete the job and return to GA, we were surprised to learn that all three nestlings had not only all fledged but had also wholly vacated their nest.

“God’s timing is so perfect,” I exclaimed after hearing the news.

“So true,” agreed Jocelyn. “God is awesome.”

*Sharing a smile atop our ladders, David and I stapled new screen material onto freshly painted porch frames.*

And yet, how often do we doubt our Heavenly Father’s unique understanding of what’s needed in our lives? Rather than trusting God, we plead and petition for what we want – restored health, a new job, a home, or even love – without considering our Lord’s timing. We’re such impatient people. Between instant messaging, microwave meals, and streaming services, there’s not much we have to wait for anymore.

I remember learning patience growing up. For example, I distinctly recall the anticipation of receiving our annual Sears Christmas catalog in the mail when I was between six to ten years of age. As I salivated over the pages, dreaming of all the ways my new toys would enhance my life, I loved the excitement of circling everything I wanted. While I seldom received anything from the catalog, it was still fun to see what each festively wrapped package would reveal on Christmas morning – and I was never disappointed.

*Completed porch project with new steps, door, and concrete pad.*

Fast forward a decade, and I can still recall feeling like my senior year in high school would never arrive – until it did. And then, after daydreaming about how exciting it would be to walk down the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance, the ceremony passed in a heartbeat.

Waiting until I was 21 to get my driver’s license offered another unique exercise in my patience training. I never took Driver’s Ed in high school and had to wait until I had a car I could drive before even attempting to pass the test. What a feeling of triumph when I ultimately held my first license in my hand!

I could say the same about my first car and apartment. I didn’t have any of those things until I ventured out alone after my second abusive marriage. I remember the thrill of having my own refrigerator – with all the foods I wanted, not what someone else insisted we have. Nothing compared to that simple joy. It took me months to afford an actual store-bought mattress and boxspring set rather than the wafer-thin, uncomfortable Walmart futon I’d been sleeping on. The gratification I felt from this new acquisition was profound.

Inevitably, trading my futon for a Lazyboy sofa brought intense satisfaction, as was purchasing my first home – bought with my painstakingly restored credit and frugally saved money. It took years of saving and earning my way to such moments of triumph and satisfaction – all with God’s help. I remember dancing around the house with my arms raised in praise after signing my life away on my new 30-page home loan. I couldn’t stop thanking God for bringing me to that moment.

*David begins his patio job by removing the previous concrete pavers.*

But the grandest reward to a lifetime of learned forbearance was ultimately receiving a gift so undeserved yet undeniable as the incalculable love of my irreplaceable husband, David. I remember my innocent dreams of finding my soulmate when I was younger. To think I once believed I could earn love from men who knew nothing of God is ludicrous to me now. Disappointment and heartache soon proved that notion was nonsensical. No matter how hard I hoped it would, such a result would never materialize.

*I’m always happy to help however I can – even hauling concrete pavers.*

I had long ago given up ever finding God’s perfect love personified in a man – so I gave up looking. I was content to be alone, serving my Savior however I could, living for the day when He’d call me home to my place in Glory. I wasn’t interested in looking for a compatible spouse on Earth. I truly believed that such a thing could never exist. After all, that’s what I’d consistently learned and lived.

But then God’s perfect timing put my soulmate and me together in the most unlikely circumstances – sweating our guts out while helping hurricane victims in FL. Neither of us was looking for anything other than the exultation of serving our Savior during that trip.

Still, as David tells me, he looked heavenward when I first offered to share my lunch with him on day one of our combined disaster relief work. “Is she the one, God?” David questioned.

“Be patient,” a still, small voice seemed to whisper to David in return. Thank goodness he listened.

*Midway through the new patio and firepit job, David stands behind his artistic creation.*

And here we are today. I’m still in awe of our Savior’s timing. Even when both David and I had given up on love, even though we accepted that we might never receive genuine human tenderness here on Earth, God gave us both the same – in abundance. Our Heavenly Father’s grace, provision, and generosity are unfathomable.

And so, I ask you to be patient, beloved. Your Heavenly Father knows what’s best for you no matter what you’re hoping, praying, and beseeching God for.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

*Our completed patio paver and firepit job turned out to be a work of art.*

In God’s perfect timing, fledglings will fly, hearts will mend, and all things will be restored. Our Savior is our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Nothing is impossible with Christ – in His perfect timing.

The only “C” word that matters is Christ

By Sara | May 31, 2023

They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. (Psalm 112:7)

Life is a book in volumes three –
The past, the present, and the yet-to-be.
The past is written and laid away,
The present we’re writing every day,
And the last and best of volumes three
Is locked from sight – God keeps the key.
– Author unknown

As a self-proclaimed optimist, I work hard to always see the good in everything– even when things are at their worst. Sometimes, I can do so easily. At other times, maintaining that mindset takes a bit more conscious effort – and a whole lot of prayer.

If you follow my blog at all, you know that God brought me my soulmate, David, in culmination of a lifetime of surrender to my Savior. Despite my fears and trepidation, I heeded my heavenly Father’s call and traveled to FL to help Samaritan’s Purse with disaster relief, post-Hurricane Ian. While serving – in a completely unexpected act of grace and provision from my Heavenly Father – God revealed His plans to provide me with a godly husband.

David holds my heart. He is the blood that flows through my veins, and I can’t imagine life without him. David is my life’s greatest gift and an incomparable blessing from God.

One month and one day after we were married, David had an MRI scan of his prostate at his doctor’s recommendation. Eight days later, the results showed a high probability of cancer. It would take nearly four weeks before we could see a urologist to fully interpret the findings.

In the interim, my head was filled with a gamut of emotions. A sense of surreality is what hit me first. There’s no way this could be happening, I thought. I waited my whole life to find David. I couldn’t lose him now.

“This is a love story,” I told him. “And it’s not going to be a tragedy.”

The reality is that David lost his mother to cancer. She was only 52. My grandmother also died in her early 50s from the same disease that claimed my grandfather.

And yet, we also have good stories in both of our families. My mother is a cancer survivor – as is one of David’s older brothers, who battled a rare form of leukemia through an experimental treatment that saw him cancer-free within a few weeks of treatment. Despite another bout of lung cancer, he remains healthy today.

Still, of all the C-words one might want to hear and celebrate in a marriage, cancer is not one of them – neither are calamity, chaos, or cruelty.

But what about courage, compassion, and cheerfulness? Aren’t those all words David and I celebrate every day? Hasn’t God given us an abundance of blessings? Aren’t our cups already overflowing with joy, laughter, and love, love, love? Indisputably!

We will be strong, no matter what. I know that without reservation. We will fight this thing with every ounce of our combined strength – and God’s.

And so we’ve surrounded ourselves with prayer.

David and I are both warriors. We’ve lived through personal battles that might have broken others. It’s true that we still bear the scars of those wars – but only so we can share with others how God brought us through the valleys with His mighty hand.

So it is with this battle. “God is using this to further strengthen our testimonies,” I told David.

“I have more work to do for Him,” David agreed.

We will not let this challenge defeat us. From the first day we heard the news about David’s health, we’ve earnestly prayed that God would heal David’s body from the inside out. We know in our hearts that He is.

Our God made the universe (Genesis 1:1-2:3). He parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through on dry land (Exodus 13:17-14:31). He brought dry bones back to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14). And He brought two formerly forsaken people together – destined for one another since birth – through a disaster relief ministry and a forgotten lunch (The David and Sara Saga, parts 1-3). There is no way that our story is anywhere near being over.

God affirmed our faith two weeks ago when we met with David’s urologist. At the doctor’s request, we scheduled a biopsy for mid-July to confirm what we already know in our hearts: the Great Physician is completely healing David. That is our earnest prayer, and we believe it with all our hearts. David’s doctor also believes we caught whatever this is early. He said his concern level was “low,” which only made us raise our hands and cry, “Yay, God,” as we walked away from the doctor’s office.

As I initially wrote that statement affirming my faith while sitting on our porch, the skies cleared, and the sun came out from behind where David sat lounging across from me, illuminating his frame. After a week of grey skies and three solid days of cold, rainy conditions, the sun’s presence was profound. I could only smile as I snapped David’s photo. A minute earlier, the skies were overcast. A few moments later, they began blazing with light and promise.

So it is with God’s presence in our lives. There is no fear, no challenge, no prognosis too big for our Heavenly Father to overcome. We speak conquest over this challenge. Our combined service for our Savior has only just begun.

And so, I confidently proclaim that the only “C” word that ever matters is Christ. This battle – like all the others we’ve ever faced – belongs to the Lord. And in Him, we will always have eternal victory.

I worship Father God – not Mother Earth

By Sara | April 24, 2023

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2)

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

So read the church sign David and I passed on the Friday before Earth Day, 2023. I was saddened to see this declaration which seemed to be pointing directly to climate change ideology. It’s Earth Day, I reasoned. That church appears to validate the belief that we all must help ‘Mother Earth’ by saving our planet. What does that sign have to do with God?

Since Earth Day was established in 1970, planet activism has become a pseudo-religion. Former CBS Evening News Anchorman Walter Cronkite first explained the remembrance in a special April 1970 news broadcast by defining it as “a day set aside for a nationwide outpouring of mankind seeking its own survival. Earth Day,” Cronkite continued, is “a day dedicated to enlisting all the citizens of a bountiful country in a common cause of saving life from the deadly by-products of that bounty.”

Climate activists will do anything to elevate their cause. Recent examples of such include protestors vandalizing priceless pieces of art to bring an audience to their message. In October 2022, two Just Stop Oil activists threw mashed potatoes on Claude Monet’s “Les Meules” painting in a German museum before super-gluing themselves to the floor. In explanation of their act, the protestors stated, “If it takes a painting – with #MashedPotatoes or #TomatoSoup thrown at it – to make society remember that the fossil fuel course is killing us all: Then we’ll give you #MashedPotatoes on a painting!”

In a similar October incident, two other protestors threw tomato soup on a Van Gough painting in a London gallery before gluing their hands to the wall. Similar incidents saw protestors glue themselves to Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and other works by Botticelli and Picasso.

In addition to defacing artwork, scaling buildings, blocking traffic, and vandalizing pipelines, activists are often willing to sacrifice their bodies to elevate their ideals. One such unfortunate incident was coordinated by Boulder, CO resident Wynn Bruce, who set himself on fire outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on Earth Day, 2022. Bruce later died from his sustained injuries.

Zen Buddhist priest Kritee Kanko – a friend of Bruce’s – later acknowledged that Bruce had been planning the protest for “at least one year.” In an interview with the New York Times, Kanko told the paper that “people are being driven to extreme amounts of climate grief and despair.”

As an outdoor enthusiast, I fully appreciate the importance of doing our part to protect the environment – but not at the expense of forgetting the one who created it all. Genesis 1:1 reminds us, “In the beginning God created heaven and earth.”

Conversely, I also believe what our Heavenly Father foretells us in the book of Revelation. Chapter 21:1 declares, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” God created everything and is in control of all things. “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Psalm 50:10)

And so I disagree with the church sign I mentioned earlier in this post. The greatest threat to our planet is not in believing someone else will save it. The greatest threat to humankind is not acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the only one who can save both our planet and our eternal souls. In fact, He already did so when He died on the cross for our sins. While preserving the earth may sound like a noble cause, as Christians, we should be more concerned about where our fellow earthly citizens will spend eternity.

Christ’s blood covered all our sins and bridged the chasm between heaven and earth. My mission in life is not to save the planet but to share God’s love with the planet’s dwellers. I was created to serve our Creator – not any other created being – including planet Earth. Just as worshipping an idol manufactured by man is senseless, so is idolizing any other entity other than the God who created it. There is no such thing as “Mother Earth.” There is only Father God, and He has a future home for us in Heaven – far beyond anything we can envision on this terrestrial globe.

Revelation 21: 3-4 reminds us to look forward to our heavenly home where God will dwell alongside us. “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Our Creator loves us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross so that His perfect sacrifice would cover our sins and allow us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. More important than saving the planet is saving ourselves and others from eternal separation from God. We can never be perfect enough, do enough, or perform enough acts of sacrifice to save ourselves from the penalty of sin.

Romans 3:23 reminds us that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” To save my soul, I had to acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for my sin by dying on a cross for me. Belief in Him is the only way I can ever be accepted into heaven. As John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

My Heavenly Father cares about me and loves me. The fairy-tale entity of Mother Earth is no different than Mother Goose. Her existence, like the latter’s, is only a manufactured creation.

If climate activists are willing to super-glue themselves to walls to draw attention to their cause, how much more so should I, as a child of the one true God who has saved my soul for all eternity, be willing to use my whole life to promote the gospel? “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

May I always be willing to pay any price and sacrifice anything I have for Christ. After all, I was created to worship and serve my Creator – all the days of my earthly life and beyond.

How did we get here? – The David and Sara Saga, Part 2

By Sara | April 16, 2023

“I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me.” (Psalm 30: 1)

“How did we get here?” David’s brother, Jeffrey, asked at the start of his toast to his brother and me during our wedding reception. “How did we get to where they’re married?”

Unlike traditional toasts that provide anecdotes while congratulating the lucky couple, Jeffrey built his speech around whether God knows or cares about us when we’re hurting. His words struck a chord with not just David and me but everyone privileged to hear the “backstory,” as he called it.

*David and I stand in front of one of the shore-stranded and stacked shrimp boats in Ft. Myers, FL – post-Hurricane Ian in January, 2023.*

If you read my blog, you already know how David and I met and how unexpectedly beautiful our God-given love story is. Neither of us was looking for love when we traveled to Florida to help Samaritan’s Purse with disaster relief in Ft. Myers, post-Hurricane Ian. Anyone attending our wedding knew the same.

Instead, Jeffrey elaborated more on who God is and how much He used the love of our Creator to unite us.

“Yeah, you might say that they met on a hurricane project – a clean-up project in Ft. Myers on October 12th,” Jeffrey continued. “But I want to know where they were before that. I can tell you, there was a lot of pain. There were hearts that were shattered – broken relationships, dreams obliterated, enduring years of disappointments, wondering where God was in the pain of it all. They were begging for help.”

“I wonder if God did know the agony of their souls,” Jeffrey questioned. “Does God really get us? Does God really know what’s going on in those times?”

For the next five minutes, Jeffrey shared scripture with the spellbound room as he turned to passage after passage of reminders that God understands our heartaches.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O, my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. (Psalm 22: 1-2)
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. (Psalm 69:1-3)
Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night, I cry out to you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. I am overwhelmed with troubles, and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. (Psalm 88: 1-5)

“I think God does get it,” Jeffrey affirmed. “At least two thousand years ago…people were hurting but hanging on. God does know that we suffer. He [gives] us these words to give us comfort, to know we are not alone.”

I couldn’t agree more. Despite everything I’ve been through, my love for God never changed. His Holy Word kept me focused on my Savior and less on myself. In fact, my eternal love for my Heavenly Father sustained me during moments that could have broken me otherwise. The times when I felt utterly rejected by the world, I always knew that God was with me and loved me. That thought continually gave me hope.

By worldly standards, I was the perpetual outcast – shunned, spurned, and shamed in past relationships.

And yet, I never lost sight of my Father’s love. God’s grace pulled me up from the depths of despair more times than I could ever mention. I was committed to loving and serving my Savior – no matter the cost.

“What got them to this place right there?” Jeffrey continued. “Their love of God. They didn’t know each other, but they loved God. And that was the key component that they required in anyone else.”

*David and I were privileged to serve with Samaritan’s Purse in Ft. Myers on Monday, December 12, 2022 – the day after he proposed to me.*

Jeffrey went on to explain David’s ultimate decision around a year ago not to date anyone unless they loved God. That decision only came after another broken, worldly relationship pulverized his heart. Despite his best intentions in helping others, David learned the hard way that his pursuit of love with anyone who didn’t understand Christ would inevitably end in heartache.

“When he first told me about Sara, I knew she had passed the test,” Jeffrey explained to the sound of chuckles. “It was their love of God that got them there, despite all the lonely trials…Despite the effects of loneliness, they still heard God cry out that He needed people. God said, ‘Hmm. Tragedy in Florida. Whom shall I send?’ And David in Virginia Beach and Sara in Georgia, like Isaiah, said ‘Here am I, Lord. Send me.’ That’s how we got here. Their love of God became their love for each other.”

As David and I ponder the amazing grace that brought us together, we are continually in awe of the love we share and our God-aligned, astounding compatibilities. How many people in the world fully understand God’s love? And how many of us have surrendered our plans to our Heavenly Father’s? Of all the relationships currently standing, how many are built on God’s love, first and foremost?

As Jeffrey said, David and I loved God and placed Him first in our lives. Despite my fears and David’s missteps, we knew we were called to serve our Savior. We would never have met if we hadn’t entirely surrendered to God’s will over our own. If either David or I had once said, “I can’t do it. It’s too hard. It’s too much. I’m too busy,” or even “Maybe next time,” our paths would never have crossed.

How often, I wonder, do we miss the blessings that God has in store for us because we aren’t willing to relinquish our will to God’s? There may come a day when we all stand before our Heavenly Father in heaven and learn what our lives could have been if we’d only listened to God and done what He asked us to do instead of following our own plans for our lives.

I hope and pray that I will always obey my Savior’s calling. I want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23). I’ve made many mistakes in my life that I’ve had to live with. I don’t want to regret another moment when I could have done more for God but chose not to.

After all, it’s only when I fully surrendered to my Heavenly Father’s sustaining grace that I received the biggest blessing of my life – finding my soulmate in David.

Whatever my Heavenly Father has yet to ask of me, whatever else He needs me to do, may I always be ready and eager to do so. After all, I’m a living testament to God’s outstanding provision. My life with David – finding true love with him is so much more than I ever could have asked for or imagined.

And I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t yielded to my Savior. I have true joy beyond imagination because I said the simple but meaningful words: My life is yours, God. Guide me. Use me. Send me.

May those words always be on my lips and yours, beloved.

God is in this story – Part 2, The dress

By Sara | March 5, 2023

I will thank You, LORD, among all the people. I will sing Your praises among the nations. (Psalm 108:3)

In my last blog – God is in this story – Part 1, The Ring – I talked about how my Heavenly Father preserved my sister’s diamond for decades until I met my soulmate and needed an engagement ring.

A few weeks before David and I even considered rings, I met with my best friend, Didi, to share the good news of my engagement. I knew I had to tell Didi my story in person, so we arranged to meet at her house at the first opportunity.

*My best friend, Didi, and me outside her home.*

After detailing my story, I intended to ask Didi to be my Maid-of-Honor at the wedding. Before I could do so, she jumped up from her stool and exclaimed, “I have a dress! I have a dress!”

As surprised as I was at her announcement, I wanted Didi to hear my request. “I’m not done with the story yet!” I laughed. “Sit back down and hear the rest of it!”

After hugging and confirming her consent to join my wedding party, Didi jumped up in excitement again. “I have a dress! I have a dress!”

Before I could stop her, my friend ran to her garage and returned with a zipped garment bag with the most beautiful dress I’d ever seen.

“It’s from Bulgaria,” Didi explained. “My father brought it to me. I didn’t know what I’d do with it but thought maybe Sasha (Didi’s daughter) might wear it someday.”

As Didi explained, her father still lives in Bulgaria. He surprised her with the dress years ago. His unexpected transportation of Didi’s former gown may have surprised her when he first presented it, but that could hardly match my shock of seeing a wedding dress come out of my friend’s garage. It even boasted a veil and crinoline.

“It’s gorgeous,” I exclaimed. “I don’t know if it will fit – but it’s amazing! I can’t believe you had this in your garage.”

*Didi’s table setting for our visit included her mother’s Bulgarian plates and tea service.*

“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to,” Didi demurred. “But you can’t even find a dress like this here. It was handmade and hand beaded. If you like it, you can wear it in your wedding!”

“I love it,” I affirmed. “It’s absolutely stunning!”

“Try it on,” Didi pressed. “I think it will fit you.”

Without hesitation, I tried on the perfect offering in shock and amazement at my heavenly Father’s provision.

Miraculously, it fit!

“I can’t believe it!” I kept saying as Didi took pictures of me smiling in the dress – my face filled with joy at the incredulity of it all.

“This is incredible,” I said. “God is so good! I can’t believe you had a wedding dress in your garage – and that it fits!”

“You look beautiful in it,” Didi gushed. “It was meant to be.”

And so, I now have one more God-ordained component to add to my story. My Creator brought two strangers together in hurricane relief work and prompted my soon-to-be spouse to forget his lunch on the very day I had extra food to share.

Two days later, God placed the notion in my head to ask needy homeowners to tear down their kitchen wall – leading me to David, the wall-breaker. Little did I know then that David would eventually tear down my psychological barriers, as well.

That milestone achieved, my Creator brought me back to FL to help in the home where David would ultimately propose.

The next morning, we returned to serve with Samaritan’s Purse, precisely two months to the day when we first met. I had planned our service day together long before David’s proposal was even a thought.

And yet God knew how significant that day would be.

The following week, I remembered my gifted diamond that would inevitably become the symbolic stone of my engagement. My sister had given it to me while she still lived in Fort Myers – the city where David and I were to meet by divine providence decades later.

And then came my dress gift from God – perfectly preserved in my friend Didi’s garage. My Heavenly Father knew I would require it someday, so He compelled an earthy father to bring it from Europe for me. Although no one understood until now why the wedding dress was here, God knew I’d need it. In His omniscience, He provided a gown for me years before Hurricane Ian hit Florida and led me to serve with Samaritan’s Purse, let alone meet David.

And as unlikely as it seems, despite our size differences, Didi’s handmade dress fits me perfectly.

Step by step, God has demonstrated that He is not just in our story. His fingerprints are all over my life. No one could ever convince me otherwise.

And so, I will continue to recount my miracles to anyone I can – the jewelers, my friends, everyone coming to our wedding, the clerk in the county marriage office we met on Valentine’s Day (another story entirely), the pilot that brought David and I back together again on the holiday, my new doctor, all the clerks at Hobby Lobby who helped us find church decorations, my bosses and co-workers – and now all of you. I can’t stop talking about my miracles!

So, you see, God is in this story.

Even more, our Heavenly Father oversees all our stories – even when we don’t see or feel Him. There’s no moment He hasn’t already foreseen. He is right there with us through our trials and triumphs, our challenges and victories.

I feel God’s power over my life in a whole new way. I know that God loves me and has given me my heart’s greatest longing – His unconditional, unwavering, unearthly love, all wrapped up in the earthly body of a man named David.

Let my story strengthen your faith, beloved. Let it remind you that God knows what will happen in our lives, even before birth. If I can find my soulmate in the aftermath of a hurricane, a handmade European wedding dress in a friend’s garage, and a diamond in a long-forgotten box sent by my deceased sister decades earlier – there is nothing our Creator can’t do.

God knows you, beloved. He longs to bless you, give you hope, and a future (Jer. 29:11). Surrender to Him and let Him shower you with blessings as He has me. Our God can do anything. Let my story show you how very true that is. His fingerprints are all over your life – just as they are mine.

[Note: I will post a picture of my beautiful wedding dress here after my wedding on March 12^th. Stay tuned!]

Building an ark is never easy but always worth it

By Sara | February 6, 2023

Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Noah 6:22)

In my last blog, Surrender, I wrote about how David and I met during our Samaritan’s Purse deployment in Fort Myers, FL, following Hurricane Ian. We ultimately fell in love through our mutual desire for service to God and ultimately became engaged to be married. While David has been working to rebuild Herm and Nancy’s home since November 1st – a project detailed in my Turning Trials into Triumphs post – I assisted with the same throughout January. For twenty-five days, I worked my remote job during the day and sanded, painted, caulked, grouted tile, and helped with anything else needed in the evenings and on weekends. Twelve-to-fifteen-hour days were normal for us, and nothing about this project was simple.

Herm and Nancy’s living room with the kitchen wall still in place before removal. Four feet of drywall, all floors, doors, baseboards, and trim were removed by our Samaritan’s Purse team in October 2022.

After installing new drywall and painting the home, David’s next project was to rebuild the guest bed and bathrooms – complete with custom-built shelves in the guest closet. He did all this so Herm, Nancy, and their dog Gigi could move back into their house while it was being rebuilt from the inside out. After staying with friends for a month and a half, the move back to their space on November 27th was a joyous occasion.

*Me and Nancy cooking spaghetti on her new stove in her under-construction kitchen. David made a temporary wooden countertop to give us a place to prep the meal.*

We celebrated on December 10th when I drove down to visit and help for the weekend. I was privileged to cook and serve the first non-microwaved meal in the house while visiting. With pots, spices, and serving utensils I brought from home, I prepped a dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce on a makeshift wooden counter that David had crafted for the special occasion.

*The kitchen’s concrete floor had to be cut out before new plumbing pipes could be added for the island.*

Neighbors Helen and Mo – whose home David is now rebuilding – joined us and brought salad and garlic bread to add to the celebration. We dined using paper plates on a previously water-logged table and washed our dishes in the new laundry sink. A tea towel spread over the new dryer served as our drying area.

The love that permeated that active construction zone was palpable, and my heart soared as I thanked God for His provision and grace during our pre-meal blessing. David proposed to me the following day, and I thought my heart would burst from the joy of that glorious weekend.

Joyful discovery of bi-fold doors in Lowes after weeks of searching for them.

Our time together in January was different, somehow. David had lost his subcontracted help after the holidays, which solidified my stay in FL. Uneven walls made every door challenging to install – if doors could even be found. David and I joked to Herm and Nancy each evening that we were going on our nightly courting run as we drove to Home Depot and Lowes with a new supply list. The items we needed were often sold out or unavailable in any Fort Myers location. With thousands of homeowners trying to rebuild simultaneously, our store searches were often as grueling as securing a new iPhone on release day.

*David installing new tiles on the breakfast and laundry room floors.*

Sleeping on an air mattress for a month, sharing a bathroom, and respecting the homeowner’s sleeping hours added to the ordeal. While we sometimes ate together, David and I tried not to disturb Herm and Nancy’s daily routines while living in a joint space.

Nevertheless, unending together time can be an onerous burden to even those with extreme patience. By the second week of January, eagerness for completion made David and I the type of houseguests that are often best appreciated when they’re leaving.

*Nancy celebrates the installation of her new kitchen sink and island after two months of washing dishes in her laundry room.*

*Me grouting the new kitchen floor tiles.*

Consistent prayers for patience marked our days as weariness set in during our daily routine of long hours, hard labor, and nightly supply runs for materials. Repeated setbacks on supply acquisitions – such as discontinued floor transitions – became the norm. Perpetually empty store shelves compounded unexpected challenges like blown breakers, a kitchen sink/faucet combination sans faucet, and a microwave installation with a manufacture-based defect that prevented the appliance from working.

“You’re doing this for God,” I consistently told David. “The devil hates that, so he’s doing everything he can to steal your joy.”

*David installing the garbage disposal under the sink on the new kitchen island.*

When Herm would get frustrated with the progress, I also reminded him that we were doing this for God in a plea for patience. It quickly became evident that my primary purpose in this project was as much spiritual as it was physical. I regularly asked friends and family to pray for the endeavor. We needed our Creator’s strength in every possible capacity.

And so, God provided grace.

*The final open-space kitchen without the wall has new cabinets, appliances, a central island, with a sink, and tile next to the new luxury vinyl plank flooring in the living and dining room.*

Despite the obstacles and opposing forces working against us, Herm and Nancy’s rebuild was completed by David on Friday, February 3rd. With only short breaks over the holidays and intervals to drive me home and back again, David completed the total custom rebuild of a home decimated by four feet of salt water in less than 90 days, primarily by himself – a herculean task, to say the least.

*Original master bathroom and tub with drywall and vanity removed – looking into the adjoining room.*

Many Fort Myers homeowners are forced to sell their homes “as is,” due to inadequate insurance coverage, the lack of skilled contractors, and unavailable supplies. In contrast, Herm and Nancy were gifted a home with increased property value thanks to David’s hard work and dedication to his Creator.

*Master bath rebuild in progress. The tub was removed, and a new custom-built storage closet was added.*

“You’re just like Noah,” I told him. “Noah built an ark in preparation for a flood. You rebuilt an ark after the floodwaters came through. Noah was surely mocked by everyone that knew him. He was building a ship to prepare for rain – something that had never been experienced on earth before. His neighbors likely laughed at him and did everything they could to discourage him. And yet, he pressed on to complete his God-given assignment.”

*David installing a new master bath wall cabinet next to the new vanity and custom-built storage closet.*

“You, like Noah, had your disbelievers and many reasons to give up,” I reminded David. “And yet you never did.”

“I never would have,” replied David. “I made a commitment and intended to keep it.”

“And so, you did,” I agreed. “To God be the glory! In spite of everything, you’ve demonstrated God’s love in a way that few others ever could.”

*Final master bathroom with new vanity, tile, and toilet. Wall and tub removed and custom-built storage closet added.*

This statement was proven true when David presented the final bill for his work to Herm and Nancy – a bill substantially lower than what he could have charged for such an undertaking.

With tears in his eyes, Herm hugged David on that last day, marveling at the incredulity of it all.

*New storage closet in the master bathroom where the bathtub used to be.*

“You didn’t even know us and yet you did all this for us,” Herm said.

“That’s right,” David replied. “But I still love you.”

No doubt, these precious homeowners will not soon forget such a demonstration of God’s love in action.

Unselfish love is a rare and exceptional gift. I feel privileged to have been part of this journey as I witnessed its beauty unfold.

*Herm and I share a smile while working in his home in mid-January.*

David’s and my submission to God in early October 2022 led us to help strangers in need during their darkest hours in FL. We came to Herm and Nancy’s home to demonstrate our Creator’s commitment, dedication, and unfathomable love in a tangible way. God’s strength and grace are now embedded in every wall, floor, doorframe, baseboard, and closet in that house. It covers their lives in a way that few people will ever encounter.

*Nancy, David, me, and Herm hug with Gigi at our feet while working to rebuild their home.*

As I told Nancy when I first met her, God can turn every trial into triumph. What an experience to have witnessed our Savior turn that statement into reality. I am so blessed to have been a part of it!

Building an ark is never easy – but it’s always worth it. Noah built his ark at God’s request, and it rescued his family while allowing the world to restart with a clean slate.

Like Noah, David also built his ark at God’s direction, and it ultimately represents a new beginning for Herm and Nancy – as well as for David and me.

It is a privilege to serve God! We can never outgive our Savior. I can’t wait to see what He’ll do next through David’s and my hands in joint service to our Creator!

Silent no more, I’m just getting started

By Sara | June 27, 2022

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” (Acts 18:9)

When I first created this blog a few years ago, I did so with the sole purpose of writing to uplift, encourage, and strengthen others by sharing stories of how my Heavenly Father has led me along life’s journey. I had written a monthly political column for a legacy media publication in my former hometown and knew I could comment on politics without issue. This forum, I thought, should be different. I worked for a church at the time, and my conservative values were embraced by those I rubbed shoulders with daily. My voice was safe, protected, and appreciated.

Today, I work for an organization that might not take kindly to knowing my views. I need my job, I reasoned. It’s best to stay quiet, share political thoughts with like-minded individuals, and work quietly in the background. I’m not sure that reasoning is wise anymore. A still, soft voice in my head tells me that the time to remain silent is no more.

As Christians, we are called to share one another’s burdens, cry with those who weep, and rejoice with those who are happy. I always strive to do so.

But what can I do to help those who are afraid? How can I empower other conservatives out there who are as outraged, frightened, saddened, and concerned as I am about what’s happening in our nation – about the moral decay, shocking headlines, and lost innocence that daily digs its heels ever deeper into our culture? Why do other Christians and I often feel compelled to stay silent? Should the majority remain meek and mute when they see injustice solely because they fear the spotlight being redirected onto them instead? Isn’t that why degradation has prevailed, churches have pandered, and minds have been plied into welcoming what would never have been tolerated even a decade ago?

I applaud pastors who speak up against the evils they see happening around them today – but such acts of bravery are few and far between. Most have purposely decided to follow the liberal mindset that keeps the church and state separate – a premise never intended by our nation’s Christian founders – let alone the disciples of the early church. Weren’t New Testament believers willing to be beaten, imprisoned, and martyred for their faith? How much more should we who don’t face such persecution be shouting about today?

This morning, as I faced a challenging workday, I joined our weekly organizational meeting only to hear how my “woke” employer would reimburse employees who needed to travel across state lines for abortions in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade. In that same meeting, corporate leaders were happy to announce that, in addition to daily meditation classes, there would also be a virtual “Drag Queen Trivia” session over the lunch hour on Tuesday. On Wednesday, “Safe Space Conversations” will feature the topic of “Corporate Representations of Pride: Pandering or Progress?” On Thursday, the organization will provide an open session on “LGBTQ Mental Health” for anyone who’d like to attend.

How I wish I could just scream, enough! Whatever happened to the workplace being just that – a place to work and not proselytize? I can’t talk about anything related to my faith – which forms the very core of my being – and yet what someone chooses to do in their bedroom seems to have become the bully pulpit of my corporation’s identity.

I was still pondering such things when I sat down to lunch today. After opening my Kindle to continue my daily scripture reading, my eyes immediately went to the center of the page. There, my eyes locked on the following verse: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” (Acts 18:9) Did I just read what I thought I did? I read it again. The complete verse states, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.’”

I couldn’t have been more thunderstruck had God sent a lightning bolt down from the sky to strike me in the head. I’ve never received a more explicit message. I will no longer be afraid and wish someone else would say what I’m thinking. I will not be frightened into refusing to use this forum to speak truth over lies, even if it’s not politically correct. Even if it costs me my job, I will stand for my faith – in all areas of my life. I trust my Savior. And I will speak what He places on my heart. After all, someone has to. Why not me?

God gave me this platform for a purpose. He made me an encourager for a reason. My Creator blessed me with discernment not to keep to myself but to share with others. I pray that my words will embolden fellow believers. As long as God allows me to do so, I will use the voice that He gave me for His purpose. While this form of encouragement may not have been what I initially envisioned for my blog, I feel compelled to use it this way now.

Stick with me, readers. Learn with me. Grow closer to God with me as I stand unafraid to speak out against the world’s evil. Fasten your seatbelts. We may be in for a bumpy ride.

And I’m just getting started.

God never disappoints

By Sara | February 20, 2022

For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10)

Our lives can be defined by how we handle the challenges we face. Our raw determination and courage often strengthen and enable us to overcome our difficulties. Other times, obstacles assail and strike us down. Perhaps one of the most debilitating conundrums we face is the feeling of disappointment. Worse yet, when dejection is facilitated by the hands of those we trusted, the ensuing despair can be palpable.

As a young adult, I longed to be swept off my feet by a love so deep that we could scarcely stand to be apart. Romance may be the stuff that movies, gothic novels, and countless enterprises are made of, but the reality is that true life seldom resembles a movie screen. As a person who’s spent her life seeking ways to demonstrate love to others, never finding that “true love” in another person has been a bit disappointing, to say the least. My experiences, instead, have been physical and emotional abuse, broken promises by another who claimed to “love” me, and beautiful words of adoration and undying devotion from a man who turned out to be married.

Friendships, too, have often proven themselves more discouraging than uplifting. I’ve had several close friends turn against me – one, recently, due to our differences on the topic of COVID vaccinations. I was shocked and saddened to have her eviscerate me, via text, with a message stating that my “egregiously selfish actions and ‘religious freedom’ are directly responsible for harming others.” That not being enough of a knife to my gut, she questioned the faith that drives my existence by stating, “I fail to see how this could be considered the actions of a Christian. I hope that someday you will be forgiven.”

My married sister once told me that “single people are selfish” while we were on a trip together to a place she wanted to see that I’d driven across three states to take her to. A recent call from her reminded me that she still feels the same. It’s distressing to know that no matter how I work to demonstrate kindness and love to her, she seems determined never to see it.

Today I learned that my mom and brother had abandoned their plans to move to my state. We had often discussed this consideration, but when an opportunity came for them to purchase the house next to mine, I, admittedly, began thinking how nice it would be to have them close by. Our once-a-year visits together would be replaced by daily encounters, affording us the ability to interact and share each other’s burdens in a much more literal sense. I hadn’t realized how much I was looking forward to all of that until I heard their decision. The ensuing heavy-heartedness hit me as yet another rejection.

That’s the world, isn’t it? People disappoint us. Friends betray us. Families reject us.

Nevertheless, it’s encouraging to know that God never will.

The Psalmist, David, captured this reminder perfectly when he said, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God.” (Psalm 42:11)

David knew a thing or two about disappointment and rejection. He demonstrated great bravery in standing up to the giant Goliath – thus saving the Israelites from Philistine enslavement. And yet his brother saw him as nothing but a nuisance.

“When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.'” (1 Samuel 17:28)

After becoming King Saul’s helper in the palace and playing his harp for the king whenever his spirit was disquieted, Saul’s heart turned against David.

“The next day, a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, and he hurled it, thinking, ‘I will pin David to the wall.’ But David eluded him twice.” (1 Samuel 18: 10-11)

Thus began a series of thwarted attempts by Saul to take the life of David, of whom he was jealous and afraid. Over the next ten years, David lived like a fugitive, running for his life from Saul despite never having done anything to provoke the king.

At one of the lowest points in David’s life, he recorded his sadness while living in a cave outside of the Philistine town of Gath. You may recall that Gath is the town where Goliath hailed from. In his fear, David found himself not only petitioning his enemies for help but humiliating himself in front of others – portraying himself as a madman to escape their wrath.

“So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands, he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. [King] Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?'” (1 Samuel 21: 13-14)

It is then that David recorded a Psalm that detailed his great sadness. His family had turned against him. He had lost his wife and promised inheritance for killing Goliath. His best friend, Prince Jonathan, had bid him fairwell forever, and the king and all his warriors were hunting him out of jealousy.

Listen to the words of David’s despair.

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (Psalm 13: 1-4)

But the story didn’t end there. When David was at the lowest point of his life, he remembered that God was still with him.

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.” (Psalm 13: 5-6)

David’s faith serves as a sober reminder to focus my eyes on my Creator rather than on those He created. The world and everything in it, including me, are flawed and imperfect – but God never is.

God’s love is ever faithful. God’s promises will always endure. God’s provision will always sustain. I won’t let the world or anyone in it determine my worth. God never disappoints, and I will always trust in Him.

Come what may, God’s wisdom prevails

By Sara | January 23, 2022

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

I’m a reasonably patient person, but six months of delays followed by a poor outcome won’t win me any awards for enhanced endurance. Rather, I must admit to recently reaching the end of my tolerance level.

I’ve been waiting for six months for a contractor to begin working on a screen porch project at my home. I first contacted him in July and was anxious for the work to start in August. No such luck.

His first excuse was that the materials would take eight weeks to arrive. Whenever I asked if he’d ordered them, he’d tell me he was out of the office and would do so “soon.” The project was projected to commence in September and then bumped to October. In October, I asked if I’d have the porch by Thanksgiving. It was promised that I would.

A week before the holiday, with no word on a start date, I told my contractor I had the feeling he didn’t want to do my work. He admitted to putting me off because he wasn’t happy with our agreed-upon pricing. I agreed to a significant price increase hoping that the building would finally ensue. A month later – just ten days before Christmas, it did.

A week into the build, I held significant reservations about the project’s quality—a rush to complete things before the holidays left me feeling worse. The roofer walked off the job mid-day, and my contractor’s helper moved into the truck in the afternoon – not wanting to work in the cold weather. We agreed to pause while I was traveling.

When I returned from the holidays, I expected work to continue. Instead, my project manager told me that he had been in the hospital for a few days. A week later, he called to say he quit.

Frustrated and anxious over my half-built porch and not knowing how to proceed, I didn’t sleep well that night. My mind has a way of embedding itself into problems until I’ve reached a solution.

“Let anyone who lacks wisdom ask of God.” That Bible verse repeated itself in my mind as I lay awake for hours in the middle of the night. It became my prayer – my mantra.

I need your wisdom, God. Show me what to do, I cried out. Let anyone who lacks wisdom ask of God. I’m asking You. Please show me Your wisdom.

After rising the following day, I called the contractor who had built my former screen porch and asked him to look at the creation. To say he was shocked at the project’s quality is putting it mildly.

“This is the worst work I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told me.

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” I replied. “I’m happy to be validated but frustrated to hear that things are so bad.”

By the end of our discussion, he advised me to rip everything down and start over. I agreed to have him do so.

I also reached out to the franchise owner to request a refund for his subcontractor’s faulty work. A day later, he returned a third of my money with no apology. I’ve been fighting for the remainder of my payment ever since.

While I know God gave me the wisdom to find another contractor, this entire project has been quite an ordeal. Rather than celebrating my home’s new addition, I’ve been frustrated and frazzled every step of the way.

But perhaps, I need to look at this differently.

*Stripped to the bare bones, my porch project begins anew.*

My subcontractor’s decision to quit allowed me the opportunity to assess his work and secure corrections before everything was completed. In a way, this setback afforded me a better product in the long run. God intervened before things got worse.

This isn’t the first time my patience and trust have been taken advantage of, and it likely won’t be the last. Nevertheless, I can’t let the actions of others change who I am.

I’m reminded of an Irish prayer that summarizes this sentiment.

Count Your Blessings
Count your blessings instead of your crosses.
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes.
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your laughs instead of your tears.
Count your kind deeds instead of our mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth.
Count on God instead of yourself.
– Author Unknown

And so I shall. God has blessed me more than I deserve, so I will concentrate on all the good things in my life and let go of the bad. While I can’t always count on things to turn out the way I want them to, I know my heavenly Father will never let me down. God’s wisdom far exceeds my own.

I’m still learning to let go of the stressors in my life, but I will trust God to bring the resolution that He desires. His outcome, His governance is all that matters. I will, therefore, rest in the arms of Jesus, come what may.

Tag: #TrustinGod