This past year has been anything but easy. In fact, it has been one of the hardest years we have ever been through. We’ve struggled in one way or another every single day and the obstacles that have been placed before us often left me feeling defeated and discouraged. I would ask God why life had to be this difficult? Why did we have to keep going through so many trials? Would we ever see the light at the end of the tunnel, or were we forever destined to fight tooth and nail just to make it through another day? I just didn’t understand why everything had to be so hard. Every time, God answered my questions by saying “Just wait, I have a plan.” I didn’t know what His plan was, but I knew I needed to trust Him.
Then one day, God opened my eyes. He began to show me that even though this past year had been filled with heartache and confusion, it had also been filled with blessings that we never imagined would come our way. It seemed that every time we were faced with yet another difficult circumstance, God was right there with yet another blessing. Every time the devil tried to tear us apart, God was there to pull us right back together. His blessings came in so many different ways and always at just the right time. We never knew how God was going to show up, but He always did. Care packages, gift cards, gas cards, meal trains, cash stuck in our front door, random strangers walking up giving us money, a weeks stay in a condo in Florida just to give us a much needed vacation, our meals paid for by random strangers when we’d go out to dinner just to get away from it all, cash sent to us in the mail, our car registrations paid for, friends and family cleaning our home, new tires on my car, and the list of blessings go on and on and on. I don’t say these things to brag, but rather to show how amazing God is. No matter what the devil tried, he never succeeded in tearing us down. God was right there with something bigger and better. We’ve had thousands of people praying for our family this past year and despite the devil’s relentless attempts at destroying my faith, I now have not only a stronger faith, but a deeper relationship with God than I’ve ever had before.
Tonight we were again blessed. An organization called the Indianapolis Optimist Pub Club went out and purchased food to give to families who are going through hard times. Someone nominated our family to receive this amazing blessing and I can’t express how thankful we truly are. I have recently started working again so that we can try to make ends meet and I really wasn’t sure what this holiday season was going to look like for our family. Now I can breathe a little because our pantry is full and that’s one less thing we have to worry about. All because a group of people decided to come together and be a glimmer of light in what can often be an otherwise dark world.
Everyone goes through hard times. I know this is only a season and I know that God has an awesome plan for my family. When this season is over and we finally come through to the other side of these trials, oh what a glorious testimony that will be. Our story, although already amazing, isn’t over yet. We still have a lot yet to overcome, but God has already shown us that if we just trust in Him, He will take care of our every need. The many blessings we’ve already received have been nothing short of miraculous, but God has shown me that He isn’t finished just yet. I know that one day we will be able to bless others. I know that one day we will have the ability to bring God’s light into someone else’s life and bless them when they need it.
I love watching God move because I know that just when you think you can’t possibly handle another setback, God is there to pick you up and carry you through to victory.
My life 