Storm

It's funny when you are going through a storm in your life, sometimes you don't recognize it as a storm until you are coming out of it. We moved to Austin a little over a year and a half ago and man, it was such an exciting time, but such a hard time in our lives. Tim had just graduated from seminary, we had our first child 2 days later, became parents, moved to Austin, helped start a new church (North Village Church), started an apartment ministry at our complex, Tim started a new dog walking business and worked for the church part time, experienced the loss of my close cousin, and we started all over with community.

Wow, crazy to list it all like that. Needless to say, lots of transitions at one time. Tim has always been conscious of spreading out our transitions in life, but this was out of his control. At the time, all of this played a toll on our personal life, our marriage and our involvement in the lives of others.

There were moments of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate in my role as a wife, a mother, a pastor's wife, a leader of an apartment ministry, and the list continues. God used that season in my life to soften my heart and open my eyes to reveal this sweet truth... God alone will satisfy. God never promised life would be perfect, but He did promise He would ALWAYS be there. I am so thankful for a husband who is a constant encouragement, God follower, and the stable decision maker. We knew God called us to this place and to trust He is taking care of us and He alone will sustain us. Did I see this from the get-go? Capital N-O. I knew the idea of God being our true satisfaction to be true, but did not trust this to be true in my life at all times. I tried to do so much out of my own strength and ability and would just fail. How draining this was.

"I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears. "
Psalm 34:4

God was telling me to run to Him.

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed
is the one who takes refuge in him"
Psalm 34:8.


I memorized this verse years ago, but it comes up so often in my life. I have tasted and seen the Lord is good. I am blessed when I take refuge in Him because He desires for me to know He is my protector who is faithful and good.

I am so thankful God is living and active. He loves me so much.

We all go through different seasons in life. Some are short, some are long, some are never ending. No matter what it is, God is good. He is faithful. "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

Going through this crazy season has been a transforming time -opening the eyes of my heart to the beauty of the Lord. Having a sweet marriage with a gentle, tender man, mothering a beautiful toddler girl, sharing with other ladies my life and story, and being encouraged by God's Word has helped me be thankful for the time I have been given with my family and friends. We are not promised tomorrow and need to embrace every moment.

Our lives have slowed down tremendously and we are out of the storm for now. I am now able to see how God alone sustained us and satisfied us in hard and sweet times. So thankful for this "golden nugget" of truth. Thankful for a God who loves me in my weakness. When I am weak, He is strong. I know this to be so true in my life.

“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her."
Hosea 2:14

Be encouraged, sometimes God leads us to the desert so He can speak tenderly to us and reveal His sweet love to us. He alone will satisfy.