Hi, dear friend! It has been quite a while since I have published a post. Suffice it to say, a lot has transpired. Since God wants His beloved children to never embark on their faith journeys alone, I invite you to walk alongside me, as I share what has happened since the last time I posted back in August 2023 (until now, that is). As God’s Word reminds us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV). This includes the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Therefore, what do you do when your faith is tested? What have I done?
Seasons of Life
The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes appears to contemplate the nature of all human experience when referencing the seasons of life. For some, seasons of life refers to one’s generation. However, seasons of life can also describe emotional and challenging times. After all, a person’s lifelong journey is shaped by positive experiences as well as heartbreaking ones. Each moment happening in its own time. Each one challenging us in one way or another, and every experience providing an opportunity for learning and spiritual growth.
How My Faith Has Been Tested
Within a 16 month period, key aspects of my life took ravaging hits. Blow number 1… my dad passed away. Blow number 2… my home experienced three unrelated rounds of extreme property damage. No kidding! Lastly, blow number 3… my health and fitness journey was impacted by an injury, requiring many months of therapy, which I have been told will never return me to my previous level of function.
Why do I tell you all of this? Am I longing for pity? Absolutely not. Rather, I want to share with you the pruning and nurturing God has been doing within me over these past 16 months. Much of it painful, but all of it with the purpose of drawing me closer to Him.
Growing through Grief
Touch and Go
On December 3, 2023, my first real-life hero, my dad, returned to The Creator. In his final few hours, the ultimate outcome gained a sense of clarity for me, which, in the moment, felt nothing short of surreal. We knew he had been extremely ill, but he began showing signs of improvement (at least from our wishful vantage point). Once things jarringly snapped into focus, preparations began to ensure his peaceful transition.
Throughout my dad’s short hospital stay, God remained at the forefront. My dad, my mom, and I (as well as extended family and friends around the country) joined in fervent prayer for healing. Although our wish was for earthly healing, our heavenly Father fulfilled our prayers by blessing my dad with eternal healing. As we prayed, God’s presence grew increasingly palpable.
Miracles in the Midst of Grief
We witnessed miracles happening all throughout my dad’s journey to return Home. He came out of a coma and off of a ventilator, leaving many ER and ICU doctors and nurses speechless. You see, according to hospital staff, when patients reach the level of medical severity as my dad had, rarely do they rebound. Oftentimes, individuals pass away without ever coming out of a coma and/or off of the ventilator. In fact, the manner in which his case unfolded was so rare, the day before his passing, my dad’s room was filled with all sorts of medical staff, wanting to witness the miracle and gasping once they had! (Way to go, Dad! Way to go, God!)
Glimpse of Heaven in Transition
As my dad’s final day progressed, my mom and I continued praying with him. On this day, one thing had changed, though. He seemed to focus on something in the room, something visible only to him. With each passing hour, his response to what he was witnessing progressed from refusal, to contemplation, to absolute peace and awe. As long as I live, I will never forget the following conversation.
Quietly observing him, I eventually mustered up the courage and asked, “Dad, are you seeing angels?”
Gazing squarely into my eyes, he nodded, “Yes.”
Excited, I sat on his bed, continued looking into his beautiful blue eyes, and said, “I want to make sure I understand what you are telling me. You are seeing angels.”
To which my dad emphatically acknowledged, “Yes!”
Final Memorable Moment
In the final moments, my mom and I prayed over my dad and for the two nurses who were with him. Confused, one nurse asked, “I should be the one comforting you. How are you able to pray for me?” I simply said, “I will probably fall apart later, but God is giving me the strength. I can do all things through Him.” [This last statement is my life’s motto, taken from Scripture’s Philippians 4:13 (NIV).]
Looking back on that life-changing moment, God was steadfast and ever present. He was helping me grow through my grief. He tells us as much in His Word. According to Matthew 5:4 (NIV), “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Furthermore, according to 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV), “…the God of all comfort …comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Just as in His Word, this is exactly what enabled me to comfort the nurse while I was witnessing my dad go to The Father.
Determined through Destruction
As I previously mentioned, within a 16 month span, my home and its contents have experienced 3 major events of extreme damage and property loss. Exacerbating things, insurance claims were not an option in every situation, either, to the sum of tens of thousands of dollars. Devastating? Yes! Overwhelming? Yes! Challenging? Yes! Freeing? In a weird way, yes!
I must admit, dear friend, by the time we experienced our third round of extreme property damage in slightly over a year and a half, I began to feel like the enemy was really trying to break my family and me. Not just financially, either. However, God is ever present and loving. He will never forsake His children. Whenever I started to feel overwhelmed and downtrodden, I reminded myself of His promises. Luke 12:15 (NIV) reminds us, “…Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:34 (NIV) goes on to say, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” You’ve got it, God!
Instilling What is Truly Important through Injury
Throughout the years, I have heard from various individuals, whose names are lost to me now, if one loses their health, then they have nothing. Well, I certainly believe taking care of the vessel God gives each of us is important. Really important. For this reason, I strive to work out on a regular basis for both my physical and mental health. However, spiritual health should always remain at the forefront. In August 2024, I suffered an injury, which has required months of rest and physical therapy.
As frustrating as it was to have suffered this injury, it occurred in the middle of all of the above trials I just shared with you. In full transparency, my first thoughts were probably some of the same ones many of you might have. Are you serious? Really? You’ve got to be kidding me! Not something else right now!
As soon as those thoughts were borne in my mind, they were replaced with His Word. One must look no further than 1 John 2:16 (NIV), “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” Well, at that moment, I realized God had been pruning me and instilling what is truly important in life… Him. In life, people, possessions, and health will come and go, but ONLY God is steadfast and ever present through it all. He is truly everything. Thanks be to God!
Closing Thoughts and a Call to Action
What do you do when your faith is tested? Do you give in to the temptations of this world? Do you allow the enemy to wreak havoc in your life, OR do you turn to God’s Word and give it all to Him? In life, people, possessions, and health will come and go, but ONLY God is steadfast and ever present through it all. So, when you find yourself in a season where your faith is being tested, surrender it all and let God do what only He can… everything!
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