I am just warning you now that this entry will probably be more of a ramble. I am just going to start typing and see where it goes.
As a Christian I have always wondered how people make it through this thing called life without Christ. I feel like I am often saying, "Lord, I am so thankful that you are on my side" (not that I am saying that he is against those who don't believe in him because I don't think that at all). There are so many obstacles, trials, and just plain scary times that we, as humans, have to face. I know that I personally would not want to face them without knowing that Christ was walking (or carrying) me through it all.
Last summer Andy and I went through one of the hardest times in our life. Although it was nothing major that we faced, we were confronted with continuous obstacles. It tested my faith and character as a Christian and presented an amazing opportuinty for growth and maturity in my life. This is my story:
As you all know, we recently had an addition to our family with the birth of our first daughter, Addileigh. We are so blessed to have her in our life and love her so much, but let's just say that she was not "planned". Last April we discovered that I was pregnant and, at that time, we had no health insurance. I applied for help from the state, but it took months before I actually had the coverage. This itself was a humbling experience as I stood in line to hand in my application in a crummy office thinking, "I shouldn't be here". I went 4months not knowing if my baby was healthy or if everything was ok. All I could do is daily rely on God's grace and protection over her. But this was just the first of many trials that were to come. In the months following I got a large speeding ticket, our car flooded, and Andy could not find a job over the summer (imagine how much worse it seemed with raging pregnant hormones and morning sickness) Without an extra income we could not afford to live in Houston. We were forced to move back into my parent's house until Andy started teaching in the fall. So we packed our bags and headed back home. I had never been in such a low place in my life and often wondered why this was happening, but through it all I knew God had never left us.
As a Christian I have always wondered how people make it through this thing called life without Christ. I feel like I am often saying, "Lord, I am so thankful that you are on my side" (not that I am saying that he is against those who don't believe in him because I don't think that at all). There are so many obstacles, trials, and just plain scary times that we, as humans, have to face. I know that I personally would not want to face them without knowing that Christ was walking (or carrying) me through it all.
Last summer Andy and I went through one of the hardest times in our life. Although it was nothing major that we faced, we were confronted with continuous obstacles. It tested my faith and character as a Christian and presented an amazing opportuinty for growth and maturity in my life. This is my story:
As you all know, we recently had an addition to our family with the birth of our first daughter, Addileigh. We are so blessed to have her in our life and love her so much, but let's just say that she was not "planned". Last April we discovered that I was pregnant and, at that time, we had no health insurance. I applied for help from the state, but it took months before I actually had the coverage. This itself was a humbling experience as I stood in line to hand in my application in a crummy office thinking, "I shouldn't be here". I went 4months not knowing if my baby was healthy or if everything was ok. All I could do is daily rely on God's grace and protection over her. But this was just the first of many trials that were to come. In the months following I got a large speeding ticket, our car flooded, and Andy could not find a job over the summer (imagine how much worse it seemed with raging pregnant hormones and morning sickness) Without an extra income we could not afford to live in Houston. We were forced to move back into my parent's house until Andy started teaching in the fall. So we packed our bags and headed back home. I had never been in such a low place in my life and often wondered why this was happening, but through it all I knew God had never left us.
These are pictures of the flooded car. The top is stuff floating in our car and the bottom shows how deep the water was.
He was there...... carrying me. It took total reliance on him, something that I never done before (although I had often said that I was). I had taken the wheel of life from God and said, "Don't worry, I got this". I am sure he gently laughed and said "Oh child, you are so stupid" (ok, maybe not stupid) I am so thankful that he forced me to return the wheel back to his hands and say to him, " Nevermind.... you can drive".
Although it was an extremely difficult 4 months, let me share how God provided through that time.
- Addi was perfectly healthy in every possible way and I had no complications throughout my pregnancy.
- Andy's Dad drove down to Houston to get our flooded car and left one of their other cars for us to drive. His Dad was also able to get all the water out of the car and we didn't have to pay anything to get it fixed.
- Our small group in Houston recognized our need and graciously gave us over $600 out of their own pockets. This helped pay for the speeding ticket as well as some other large unexpected expenses that hit us around that time.
- Andy's old job in Kearney quickly hired him back for the summer and I also was able to go back to my old job.
- Once Andy started teaching in the fall, we were able to get on the school's insurance which covered most of my pregnancy costs.
- We grew closer to God through the whole experience. We learned that God is so faithful through all the trials of life.
Praise the Lord! What a mighty God I serve! I have taken back my seat on the passenger side with hands lifed high, enjoying the incredible ride that God is taking me on. He's got it!
