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.   

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.   

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.   

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.  

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.   

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.   

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.”   

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.   

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.   

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.   

“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.”   

“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.”  

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.  

“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.

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.   

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!

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.