HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER

Scripture is clear in Isaiah 55:9 that God’s ways are higher than ours. That means they are better than ours. His timing is also better than ours. That has been proven over and over again in my life.

When I look back at my life for the past 15 months I am absolutely blow away by God’s faithfulness to me and the incredible way that He works out all of the details of my life. Very little in my life is the same today as it was 15 months ago, and I can say with certainty that I never could have planned anything better.

Fifteen months ago I had many of the same wonderful friends and family in my life. My business is basically the same as it was then, but pretty much everything else has changed. In September of 2018 one of my brothers and my uncle were both diagnosed with skin cancer. Not the skin cancer that is removed at the dermatologist office, but the kind that is aggressive and requires treatment from an oncologist. My brother underwent radiation and experienced most every side effect of treatment. My uncle started immunotherapy and is still in that process now. With each we faced lots of unknowns. There were plenty of moments where the possible outcomes didn’t look hopeful. Both are doing really well now and their most recent PET scans showed no signs of cancer. Praise the Lord!

The fall of 2018 gave me an opportunity to serve a ministry the I love in a new capacity and with that came a new group of friends who have been a huge support in all of the craziness of these changes. In the fall of 2019 I changed roles in the ministry again and have had a front row seat in seeing the Lord answering the prayers of many for the growth of this ministry.

As 2018 came to an end my time in leadership in a church I loved came to an end and as I prayed about whether or not to stay on, the Lord gave me a very clear word to step away from that role and wait patiently for a new role that He had for me. In January, I had the privilege of joining the board of directors of an incredible ministry that the Lord is using to do big things for the people of our area. I am so blessed to be a part of this ministry, especially at this time.

In March it became clear that I needed to leave the specific church that I had worked so hard to serve. It was difficult to leave, but I trusted that the Lord would put me in a position to serve and grow in a new church. The new church search was hard but so worth the effort as God so graciously gave me an incredible opportunity to grow and serve in a church that shows the love and grace of Jesus in a way that very few do. In 2020 I am blessed to be part of the team working with the church staff to launch a new campus of this church that will be much closer to my home.

In April, with my brother feeling back to normal after his radiation treatments, he and his wife and I started the process of looking for land to purchase. This was not even on my radar just a couple of months before. We found an incredible piece of land pretty quickly and closed on the it in the summer. The day of the closing we went out to the land to pray over it. From the day we started looking we were all in agreement that it would be the Lord’s land, not ours. We are loving our opportunities to bless our friends and family with it and are so excited about all of the many memories we are making there!

I have gotten to travel more in 2019 than ever before. I have traveled with friends, different family members, and ministry partners. I have met incredible people, some of whom have become friends that I stay in contact with. I have had opportunities to show the love of Jesus on a planned mission trip but also during so many other encounters while traveling. I have experienced new cities and new cultures. I have made new friends along the way. I have even turned one of my favorite towns into a home away from home. Maybe my next financial venture will be to buy a house there. We will see what the Lord has in store!

So much has changed in such a short period of time. It is a reminder to me to wait patiently for the Lord and to be ready to jump in to the next thing He has for me. Life is far from easy (John 16:33), but it is wonderful. On the hard days I look back to this time a year ago and smile thinking about all that the Lord has done in such a short time. He is faithful to keep His promises (Hebrews 10:23). He is faithful to do more than I can even ask (Ephesians 3:20). He is faithful to sustain me (Hebrews 1:3) and provide for every need (Acts 17:25). He is good (Psalms 107:1). He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). He forgives my sins (Psalms 103:3), there is no condemnation in Him (Romans 8:1). I am made righteous in Him (Romans 4:24). My future is secure in Him (Proverbs 23:18). I don’t have to fear any situation (Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Psalms 118:6) and I can laugh at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25) because my hope is in Him alone (Psalms 39:7).

While I have seen answered prayers in so many areas of my life, it isn't perfect. There are still plenty of battles that I face; prayers that I continue to pray, waiting expectantly for an answer; and new obstacles to serving and growing. If you are reading this but feeling as though you have no hope, please don’t despair! Maybe you have had this many changes in your life too but they aren’t positive or haven’t worked out in a way that seems beneficial to you. Maybe you desperately want changes but none have happened. I cannot explain why life works this way, but I trust the One who is sovereign. I cannot explain why my family has gotten our miracles but others have not. But I do know that He is working everything out for the good of those who love Him. You are not alone. You have not been abandoned. You are not forsaken. He is faithful to keep His promises (Hebrews 10:23). He is faithful to do more than you can even ask (Ephesians 3:20). He is faithful to sustain you (Hebrews 1:3) and provide for every need (Acts 17:25). He is good (Psalms 107:1). He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). He forgives your sins (Psalms 103:3), there is no condemnation in Him (Romans 8:1). You are made righteous in Him (Romans 4:24). Your future is secure in Him (Proverbs 23:18). You don’t have to fear any situation (Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Psalms 118:6) and you can laugh at the days to come (Proverbs 31:25) because your hope is in Him alone (Psalms 39:7).