Families With Grace

Helping Christian moms create homes filled with grace, love & faith

Tag: God

Learning to lean on God in darkness

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

A lesson I learned as a little girl has served me well

Growing up, we had a long (to my perception), dark hallway in our house. As a child with a good imagination, my imagination could get the best of me in that hallway and leave me frightened. I’d hurry down the hallway to get through it as fast as I could.

When I was in third grade, my Sunday School teacher taught us the first part of Isaiah 41:10, “So, do not fear for I am with you.” (She might have taught us the entire verse, but that is the part that stuck with me.)

From then on, I’d repeat that verse over and over to myself when I walked down that hallway. I continued doing so for a year or two until I was older and no longer afraid.

For years, I didn’t tell anyone this story. I wasn’t ashamed of it, but it just didn’t come up. I first wrote about this story as a high school student for a church youth newsletter I started and edited.

After my mom read the story, she immediately told me she wished that I’d have told her and she could have put a light in that hallway. (In fact, later on she had put a light in that hallway.) I assured her it was fine.

In the years since then, though, this lesson has stayed with me. Isaiah 41:10 continues to be my favorite Bible verse. I’ve learned the entire verse and carried it with me through many situations much more frightening than that dark hallway in my childhood home.

Teaching my children to lean on God

Now that I’m a mom myself, I think about this lesson from a new perspective. Would I have learned to rely on God when I’m scared so early on without this experience? I’m not so sure. It was a small situation that was big to me and first taught me how when I’m scared I can turn to God.

I question whether I am instilling these lessons in my own children now. I am reminded that while I want to make their lives incredibly easy and without struggle, that isn’t always best for them because life doesn’t work that way.

Learning to lean on God when I’m afraid is a lesson I am so glad to have learned. Getting outside of our fear and clinging to the One Who holds us in His hand is sometimes quite difficult. I pray that my children will learn this lesson since our God can comfort and protect them in more ways than I can.

Feeling thankful for adversity

Paul tells us to be thankful for our adversities. That can be incredibly hard to do. I have had times in my life where looking back later, I completely understood and felt thankful for past adversities. This dark hallway fear is an adversity from childhood for which I am thankful. I learned how to lean on God in the darkness, and that’s served me incredibly well.

The darkness — both literal and figurative — can be such a scary place. We can feel alone and our anxiety can be intense. It’s easy to have our imaginations and thoughts spiral into a very dark place.

However, we do have One Who is with us in the darkness, even when we may not understand it or feel He is missing. He remains faithful and true in spite of our feelings. And God has given us His Word to encourage and remind us Who we most need to put our trust in, even in the darkest of times.

Following the Master

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

What walking my dog has taught me about my faith walk with God

In July, I told you about the new addition to our family: a Lhasa Apso puppy who we named Pixel. In the short time since then, Pixel has woven his way into our lives and hearts even more. He’s also gotten easier to deal with in being house trained. He still has a lot to learn, but we’re making progress.

While I have a lot to teach Pixel from sit to stay to no biting, I also continue to learn lessons from him. So many lessons.

Excited to go with the Master

On Monday, I was feeling tired as I went to get Pixel out of his crate to take him for his morning walk. It was a bit of a hectic morning. My husband and daughter were both sick. I got my son to school, stopped by the store for medicine for my sick people and then hurried home to get my daughter settled in, walk the dog and get started on my work that had a noon deadline.

Basically, I was feeling harried and tired. I opened Pixel’s crate door, got his walking harness and leash on him and noticed that he was excited. I had to make a detour to get my sunglasses instead of going straight to the front door as usual. He trotted happily along with me.

I realized that Pixel didn’t know where we were going. He knew who he was going with. And he was just excited to be going somewhere with me. He trusted me that I wouldn’t lead him astray. He followed me willingly and happily. Anywhere I said we needed to go, he would go along.

In that moment, I felt a prick in my heart. I thought of the times I need to trust and follow God no matter what and how sometimes I get distracted or unsure. Sometimes I grumble and complain. I don’t always go happily with an adoring look at the One who created me. I need to be more like Pixel.

Trusting the Master through scary times

But, here’s the thing. Pixel also isn’t perfect. While on Monday’s walk, he didn’t have any issues, on the Friday before, he sat down in the road and refused to walk because there was a trailer parked on the side of the road. It was different, and it was scary to him. And even being on the leash with me, he still wasn’t able to move forward out of fear.

Oh my how I relate to that! I get scared sometimes. I get overwhelmed. I get anxious. When the future looks unclear or the path unsure, I put on the brakes and sit in fear.

I imagine, though, that God does just what I did with Pixel. I coaxed him for a moment. I saw that wasn’t enough, so I picked him up and carried him past the trailer. He walked on with confidence. And when we passed the same trailer on the way home, he gave it a wide berth, but he walked on past because he knew that it was safe. I had shown him that I would take care of him on our path.

So many times I know that God has carried me through a difficult time. Sometimes He is able to coax me forward. Other times, I know He has to carry me. Each time I learn anew how faithful He is and how strong I can be with Him. I learn that my Master always knows where we are going and how to keep me safe when I am unsure, when I am happily trotting along or when I am somewhere in the middle.

Striving to do better

While I want to always be like Pixel in his excitement to trust and follow his master anywhere, I know that I still need to work on it. Fortunately my Master is a patient one. I have seen God’s trustworthiness so many times throughout the years. We have a history that I can remember and lean on when I am unsure. I have His Word that I can turn to for guidance. He is the Master, and I need only trust and follow Him.

(Do you love dogs? If so, check out my puppy’s Facebook page that’s just for fun: Pixel the Pup.)

40 Life lessons learned by age 40

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

Funny and poignant life lessons

In a couple of days, I will leave my 30s behind and turn 40. I’ve been pondering this decade shift for the last couple of months. I’ve concluded that I don’t mind the new number. And I’ve also concluded that I’ve learned a lot in my four decades of life from the serious to the silly.

1. Age is just a number.

It really is just a number. Once you are fully into adulthood, that number doesn’t matter so much. In fact, sometimes I have had to stop and really think (or do dreaded math) to remember my actual age. This year of turning 40 will be one of my easiest years to remember it, I think!

2. Pimples don’t care how old you are.

One of the biggest lies I ever believed were that pimples were only for teenagers. How fair is it to be dealing with both white hair AND blemishes? Not very!

3. Birthdays get less fun as you get older.

This has nothing to do with actually aging and more to do with missing people who are no longer around. Add in that your real wish list is filled with items that can’t be bought and birthdays lose some fun.

4. Nobody cares what I’m doing.

That sounds depressing, but what I mean is I don’t need to worry about what other people think of what I’m doing. They don’t care. They aren’t paying attention. They are too worried about what other people think of what they’re doing to care what I’m doing. So if I want to bring a book and sit and read while I let my son play on the playground after school instead of making small talk with other moms, it is OK. They’re not standing across the playground talking about the audacity I have to be reading.

5. God is always there.

While that’s something I’ve always known, it’s something I’ve learned even more. I’ve been through stuff now. I’ve seen Him at work. I have learned that even when He seems quiet, He is still there and still working. I have so many stories I could tell you!

6. I’m an introvert and that doesn’t make me weird.

When I was growing up, nobody talked about being an introvert or extrovert like they do now. I felt happiest in my own space doing my own thing and had no desire to go to big parties or surround myself with loads of friends. I didn’t know that wasn’t weird then, but I do now. It’s how I’m wired. And I’m not the only one who feels that way!

7. Everybody you talk to isn’t your friend.

I’ve also learned that extroverts like to talk and they’ll talk with anyone who is around them. Oftentimes they’ll open up about personal topics even though we aren’t all that close. That doesn’t mean we are becoming friends. It just means I was conveniently located to them for a chat. (And I have to add that sometimes they do become your friend.)

8. You never get too old for sparkles.

My 9-year-old daughter and I joke that one of our favorite colors is sparkle. It’s OK. I’ve embraced it. I’m typing this while wearing a sparkly watch, having nails painted with purple sparkly polish and drinking from a bright purple cup covered in glitter. Sparkles are just as fun for some of us at 40 as they were at 4!

9. You can not see a true friend for a while and catch back up right where you left off.

Adulthood is busy, especially with kids in the mix. Nobody has time to constantly be talking or meeting up. But your true friends are easy to catch right back up with even if you only see them every three or four months — and that’s OK!

10. The world keeps turning even when yours stops, but yours will start again, too.

Sometimes life hits you with something so hard that it stops your world from turning. You can barely breathe or even imagine how people around you are going on with life like normal. Yet, the world keeps turning. And no matter what happens or how long it takes, eventually your world will start turning again, too, even when it feels like it never will.

11. Find the right people to trust.

Not everybody has your best interests at heart. Not everybody who acts like a friend really is a friend. Be cautious. But find the right balance of caution so that you aren’t always closed off. I take a while to open up to people. I have lost a chance at making friends because I held back too long until I was comfortable to share, but that’s OK, too. Not everybody in your life is meant to be trusted.

12. Give grace and second chances.

Nobody is perfect. Everybody messes up. And sometimes people need grace and second chances more than anything else. Choosing to give them those things doesn’t make you weak. It makes you more like Jesus, which is the goal. I am so glad He gives me unlimited grace and second chances!

13. Give yourself grace.

I am still working on learning this lesson. I struggle with being a jerk to myself when I mess up. But I’ve made some progress on giving myself grace and recognizing when I’m doing the best I can versus when I need to get my act together!

14. Start getting ready to leave the house before you really need to in order to be on time.

If you have young kids, start five minutes before you think you need to start getting ready to go. If you have toddler or babies, start 15 minutes before you think you need to start getting ready to go. No matter what, something will happen to delay you almost every single time.

15. Sometimes you just need to eat the doughnut and shut up about it.

Maybe this is on my mind more right now because I’m working on eating healthier, but sometimes you just need a treat for yourself. Have your treat and shut up about it both out loud and in your head. Just enjoy it!

16. Never take your snow brush out of your car if you live in areas that get cold.

You’ll not remember to put it back in and find yourself trying to clean snow off your windshield in a parking lot with your gloves. Trust me.

17. Write it down or you’ll forget it.

If I have something I need to do, I write it down or set a reminder in my phone. Otherwise, it often gets lost in the jumble of everything else I am keeping track of in my head. I don’t believe the lie any longer that I’ll remember something.

18. Don’t get so caught up in big moments that you miss the little ones.

Some of the best memories I’ve made in my entire life have been in the small moments. The big moments are great, and I’m thankful for them. I’ve also had big moments go horribly awry. But I can’t even begin to count the small moments that have made my heart swell.

19. No matter how much time you get with a loved one, it’s never enough.

I haven’t lost a loved one, yet, who I thought I had had enough time with. I don’t think it’s possible. And that makes me want to spend time with my loved ones even more, because I have learned how fleeting life can be.

20. Dogs and children are good for your soul.

Some of my worst moments were made better by the love and companionship of a furry friend and/or my children. They have brought me joy and made me smile when I didn’t think it was possible.

21. Take photos and videos of everyday moments.

I love having a chance to go back and watch my kids as babies or see photos of good times in the past. Sometimes they are bittersweet with loved ones who have passed away, but that makes me all the more thankful for the photo or video.

22. Music makes a difference in my attitude.

I kind of harp on this, but it’s so true for me. I have loved music my whole life. I play three instruments and competed with two of them throughout high school and a bit in college. I have performed countless times, but the real story of music for me is the daily one. If I’m listening to the right kind of music, I keep my focus where it needs to be. The power of Christian music is strong.

23. Change can be hard, but you have to embrace it.

I don’t like change all that much, whether it’s positive, negative or neutral. But, it’s a normal part of life and I’ve found I’ll make myself miserable if I cling too hard to the way things used to be – even when that means embracing a new normal that I don’t want or ask for.

24. If you need to make small talk, ask people about themselves.

Early in my career as a journalist, I learned that people like to talk about themselves. And they like when someone really listens to them. I applied these lessons to making small talk and have made good connections with others that way. I’ve also just survived social situations that had me feeling awkward that way!

25. Everybody has a story – and a struggle.

In my youth, when I was going through something difficult, I’d think nobody understood or people around me weren’t struggling with anything. It didn’t take me long to realize how wrong that is. Everybody has a story and a struggle. And that goes back to number 12 about giving other people grace.

26. The best way to get through something hard is to get out of yourself.

During some of my most challenging days, I’ve been able to feel better (even momentarily) by doing something for someone else. Sometimes we need that reminder that other people have needs too, so we can stop wallowing in self-pity. But…

27. Sometimes you just have to feel all the feels.

I can be pretty good at denial. Shove those emotions down. Ignore the ache. It will go away. That’s never how it works. So sometimes I just have to feel the feels, so the speak. I’ve learned that feeling those feelings are all a part of healing.

28. Chocolate may not be a cure for everything, but it’s pretty close.

I don’t think I can add anything to that statement!

29. Life is filled with unexpected stuff.

We don’t expect some of the challenges we face. Yet, they happen. We get other surprises as well. I expected that both of my kids would have dark hair like my husband and me and dark eyes like me. Those are dominant features. My first child has red hair and blue eyes. I always say that her looks were unexpected, but we love them. And it’s true! Now if only I could always embrace unexpected stuff with that attitude.

30. Like what you like because you like it. Don’t worry about what other people think.

I totally geek out over certain things like new Drizzt novels, Marvel movies and anything related to “Beauty and the Beast” or “Wicked.” I have a canvas painting of Drizzt hanging in my living room. I don’t really care if it isn’t anyone else’s cup of tea. I love it and so does my husband. You do you when it comes to fandom!

31. Everybody is as clueless about adulthood as I am.

This year I have had moments of telling myself, “You are almost 40 years old. Why are you still acting so insecure?” Fair point. However, I’ve also learned that we are all just kind of faking our way through adulthood. Nobody really knows what they’re doing or feels confident about it.

32. Puns and corny jokes make me laugh.

I just saw a meme about white boards saying they are remarkable. That stuff gets me every time!

33. Having kids has taught me more about God’s love than I ever expected.

First, I can’t imagine how He could love us more than I love my children. It seems quite impossible. And second, I see how they mess up and make mistakes and know that doesn’t change how much I love them one bit, just like God does with us. Third, I fully understand that discipline is necessary to help them learn how to be better people, just like God disciplines and teaches us.

34. Having kids has also taught me how much more I need to appreciate my parents.

I’ve always appreciated my parents and had a good relationship with them. But, having kids has taught me how much they handled behind the scenes or how much they did that I didn’t even think of from making my food to doing my laundry to dealing with finances.

35. Carry a smaller purse. It’s OK.

Maybe this isn’t true for everyone, but I’ve learned that I don’t need to carry everything and the kitchen sink with me when I leave the house. Part of that is necessity because my shoulders and back protest a lot these days. But, I have pared down what I carry and diminished my purse size, and I’m not going back!

36. Contrary to popular belief, you can be a good mom without wine or coffee.

I’ve never had either and won’t. And I think I’m doing OK at this mom business. So far, I’ve kept my kids alive for 6 and 9-1/2 years. Neither one of these substances make you a good mom. That’s all you — and God!

37. When you’ve figured a budget for vacation, add an extra $100 or so onto what you think you need.

It just disappears. And if you come home with extra money, save it for the next trip!

38. Nobody is better than anybody else.

This has two sides to it. First, don’t ever think you’re better than someone else, because you’re not. I look at the world around me and see people messing up. And all I can think is there but for the grace of God go I. Second, don’t ever think someone is better than you. Like my dad always says, everybody puts on their pants one leg at a time. At the end of the day, we’re all human and that’s what matters most. Don’t judge people based solely on their worst moment – or their best!

39. Put down your phone and/or social media and just be.

Electronic distractions are everywhere. My favorite gas station has screens on each pump blaring information at me. I am not against electronics at all. I’m married to a technophile. But I also know I need to set limits so that I’m not always on a screen. I don’t want to miss moments because I’m busy being “connected.”

40. Practice gratitude.

This is perhaps the biggest lesson of all. Gratitude. If you focus on being grateful for what you have instead of resentful for what you don’t, you will be so much happier. It really does take practice! The times I get in the biggest funks are usually when I’m thinking more about what I can’t do or don’t have. Being grateful leads to being content which leads to being happier.

Finding beauty through scars

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

God is faithful even when life hurts

Last April we moved into our new house with a wood-burning fireplace in the living room. By the time we were settled enough to use it, it was too warm to think of building a fire. However, over these last few weeks that has changed. This past weekend we had incredibly frigid weather and my husband built a fire for us three days in a row. We loved the heat and warmth and coziness of it.

Today I was walking through the living room and noticed that the fireplace is no longer clean. Until recently, the brick inside the fireplace looked pretty much the same as the brick around the fireplace. It wasn’t marred. It was clean. Now, though, it has black soot in spots and has ashes in the bottom. It’s lost its pristine state. I didn’t notice those blemishes so much when it was burning bright with fire and warmth. I was too busy enjoying it.

Now I see them. I could say the fireplace is no longer as beautiful as it once was. But the fireplace got those marks from fulfilling its purpose, and is there anything more beautiful than that? After all, we didn’t plan for a wood-burning fireplace for it to just be an unused showpiece. We looked forward to the extra warmth it would bring our family on cold winter days and evenings. It couldn’t provide any of those things without getting dirty and scarred.

We are so much the same way! In a few months, I’m hitting a milestone birthday and turning 40. I haven’t lived through 40 years of life without scars and blemishes. Some of them you can see like the scar on my knee from a cut I had as a child. I’ve got freckles on my skin from being out in the sun. My abdomen has scars from numerous surgeries. I’ve also gotten unseen scars through the years. I hesitate to open myself up to new people, because I have scars reminding me of the pain the happens when trust is betrayed. I’ve got the scars left from losing loved ones to death, even when I know they are in a better place. And I have scars of fear for how my health is going to be each and every day.

I’m not pristine by any stretch of the imagination. But I don’t want to be scarred and blemished just for the sake of being scarred and blemished. Just like I didn’t throw dirt into my fireplace to make it dirty for no reason, so I don’t want to do that in life. I want my scars and blemishes to be used for my God-given purpose in life. I want to use them to honor Him. Those scars from my surgeries are times I can praise God that He brought me through safely and helped me recover each and every time in spite of the challenges that came my way as a result. They are reminders of His faithfulness and because I have them, I can better minister to those facing surgery or health issues. I can pray for them in more personal ways.

And those emotional scars of being betrayed by someone I thought was a friend serve to remind me that I have a Friend who will never betray me. Those scars of losing loved ones remind me how very precious life is. I still struggle with grief because my most recent loss was only three months ago. These last few years have been a season of loss for my family and those scars ache. But I remember lives lived fully. I remember God’s faithfulness, strength and peace even when my heart has been broken into pieces. Those scars allow me to minister to those dealing with loss more empathetically.

I want to live my life scarred and blemished but still praising God. He didn’t create me to sit on a shelf and not get messy. He could have made life without pain, but then how would we ever really know we needed Him? We appreciate the light so much more once we have been in the darkness. I want to be used up. Am I excited and wanting more hurt and hard times? Not especially. However, I know they will come. Life works that way. It is filled with highs and lows. But my scars remind me that no matter the high or the low, God is good and He is ever faithful. He holds me close and has scars of His own to prove how much He loves me.

I want to be burned up like my fireplace. I want to serve my purpose. I don’t want to be so afraid of getting dirty and scarred that I stop trying. I don’t want to let emotional scars keep me from making new friends. I don’t want to let physical scars keep me from trying new activities. I want to remember the lessons I’ve learned, share them as much as I can and know that through it all — every bump, bruise and cut — God is always faithful. He sees the beauty in my brokenness and in my scars.

Surviving a season of waiting

Posted on by Stacey A. Shannon

What I learned about God’s faithfulness in the nine years it took to sell my house

Seasons of waiting are hard. About 10 years ago, we were selling our house to move about an hour away to the bigger city where my husband’s office was. I was also pregnant with our first baby, so we had a bit of a deadline.

First we had our house for sale by owner and sold it. Then the buyer backed out. We decided to list with a realtor. We told the house again. And again the buyer backed out.

Surviving a season of waiting

We were beyond discouraged. I especially struggled with it because I have anxiety issues and the added pregnancy hormones didn’t help. We even ended up in small claims court a few months later with one of the buyers over earnest money. It was ridiculous.

Of course, people criticized my home throughout the process, because that’s how selling a house, especially one built in 1960, works. I was discouraged and beaten down. I didn’t understand why God not only shut the door once, but twice and then slammed it shut extra hard for good effort. Why were we having to stay put and make my husband drive 75 minutes away (one way) each day while dealing with a newborn? It wasn’t fair!

Finding a new focus

As time went by, I realized that I needed to let it go. And I needed to change my thoughts, because they were starting to consume me. I worked to shift from thinking about how discouraging it was to make myself pray, “God, thank you for keeping us where we need to be.”

Soon I meant it, because that was the other thing. I really DID believe in my head that He had shut the door on our move for a purpose. My heart was just struggling to get there.

Eventually, it got better, but I still had a bit of real estate PTSD. As time passed, we decided to just stay put and not move out of town. My husband got to work from home more often, we had a second baby and I had some new health struggles. We also loved being in the same city with both sets of our parents. I really was grateful to still be in our house.

But, I still had that little voice in my head telling me that I’d just always live in that house. Going through getting my hopes up for moving again just didn’t seem worth it. I told my husband that I would live in that house until I died unless God dragged out of there by force. (I can be a bit dramatic…)

Moving forward

So at the beginning of 2015 when my husband suggested we go and talk with a local builder about possibly building a house in the school district where we wanted our kids to go, I laughed.

Just like Sarah with Abraham when he told her that she’d have a baby in her advanced years, I didn’t believe it. I told my husband I couldn’t get my hopes up and be disappointed again. Throughout the years, I had made peace with our house and I didn’t want that peace ruined again. I didn’t think I could handle more disappointment.

We talked with the builder. We ran numbers and, despite all my hesitation, we decided to move forward with selling our house. This time we weren’t looking to leave the city where we had grown up and both of our sets of parents live. Instead, we found a location closer to the interstate for my husband’s commute. We also liked the school district.

Jeremiah 29:11

I did a lot of praying and talking with God. Finally, I had a peace and a glimmer of hope. I felt like God was confirming the move and promising me that I would one day live in that new house.

So, we organized our house and again put it up for sale by owner near the end of March 2015. A few people showed interest, but as time went by and life got more hectic, we listed with a realtor in May.

We signed a contract for six months, which would take us up until the beginning of December. I wasn’t all that worried, because God had promised me He was on it. However, I also wasn’t incredibly hopeful that our house would sell. I just made peace that no matter what happened, I’d leave it in God’s hands and be OK with it.

Waiting some more

In that entire time from March until December we had zero offers. Nada. None. We had some showings. We had open houses. And we had no interest. We decided to take a break for Christmas. We intended to put the house back on the market in the spring of 2016, but life got in the way. I had more health struggles. Life was just challenging. In the back of my head, I remembered God’s promise, but I didn’t fully believe it any more. 

Then came 2017 and as the months passed, my husband pushed me into listing the house again. As I prayed about it, God reminded me that when He makes promises, He doesn’t break them, so I needed to move forward in faith.

We made a few more changes and updates. We rented a storage unit and moved out some furniture. I knew from the beginning that we needed a realtor and I had one in mind who had followed up with us time and again. So when we were ready, I called him.

Moving forward — again

We got the house on the market in July. At the end of August, I had surgery with a specialist about five hours from our home. We left the house ready to show. Sure enough, the day after my surgery, just after we checked out of the hospital and headed to our hotel, our realtor called with an offer.

Surviving a season of waiting

Overwhelmed, we ran the numbers. It was a good offer. We accepted it, but also accepted that the buyer wanted possession at closing in 30 days. We weren’t sure how that would happen since I couldn’t lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for a couple of months, but we trusted it would work out.

I felt peace about it all. The buyer’s last name was Buckles, which was the name of our dog who passed away in the middle of the house selling business back in May of 2016. I knew God gave me that as an extra sign we were doing the right thing.

With help from our family and friends we got packed and moved out within a month. Most of our stuff went to storage. Some went with us to my parents’ house. We lived with them for six months before being able to move into our new home in April of 2018.

Reflecting on the process

It was a nine-year process to get to this house. This house certainly isn’t what I thought I’d have when we started the process. It wasn’t where I thought we’d live. I hadn’t dreamed of living here. And yet, it is perfect. It isn’t a mansion, but I don’t need a mansion. I call it my dream home, because it is.

Our new home is better than anything I had imagined. It fits our family and needs well. The location is terrific. And the school system is a bonus we didn’t even need because our daughter got into an excellent school through the local university that allowed our son to go there as well when he started kindergarten. 

It was a long wait, and I wasn’t good at being patient. I’d love to say I knew all along when God kept closing the doors that He had something better in store. My head knew it, but my heart didn’t feel it. I felt discouraged and downtrodden so often throughout the entire process. More than once I was ready to give up and not dare hope or dream for more. I didn’t see where I was going.

Had I been an Israelite wandering through the desert for 40 years with Moses, I’d have been on the Committee of Complaints and Doubts.

Surviving a season of waiting

But, you know what? God showed up. God knew exactly where He was leading us. He knew what would be best for our family before we could even begin to think of it. He knew.

I’m left in my new house in awe, praising and trusting God! And I’m left marveling at His gifts, which are truly beyond what I deserve. I am thankful for His grace and mercy.

God’s faithfulness and goodness

I share this long story because I want to encourage you if you are in a season of waiting where you’ve been praying, waiting and spinning your wheels. Even when we know waiting is God’s will, it can be so very hard.

I have another much, much more serious situation that I’m waiting for an answer to. It’s been going on since the beginning of 2015, and so far we don’t have an answer, but I trust God has a plan. He always does even when we can’t see it. He has a plan even when we whine and grouse because it doesn’t look like we thought it would. 

My friend, if you are in a season of waiting right now, know that God hasn’t forgotten you. He isn’t hanging you out to dry or leaving you flailing in the wind. God is with you and He is working in ways you can’t even imagine. He does have plans for you and hope for your future (see Jeremiah 29:11). Our Father has plans for your good and not your decimation. He is there, my friend. Just keep hanging on and watching for Him. 

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