Married
Father of 3
Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Philippians 4:6-7 MSG
She's pregnant. I was scared. I was worried. I was smoking and drinking. I was still in school and working part-time to pay for it. Living at home with my mom, tons of debt. Not married.
I pulled an all-nighter determined to cram all I could and finish the semester strong. Right after my final exam, I went home to crash. Soon that evening that would forever change my life... "I think I'm going into labor and I'm heading to the hospital." I was 400 miles away. I decided to rest before I jumped on the turnpike to be at the hospital and welcome my son. My son.
I missed the birth. I thought, 'This is not starting out so well.'
But God's light was not kept from us.
We had very little help.
College-educated parents on public assistance.
This is not what I had in mind...
Your first crib was a suitcase.
Doubt swirled around me like a vice grip...
'We ain't doing this right.'
'What are we doing?'
'I'm not ready for this.'
We will figure it out on our own. So we thought.
18 years later and I'm now moving you into a college dorm.
Nirel
Along the way, a woman gave me a great quote which, when I look back, has sort of become my life's slogan..."If you're not ready, get ready."
That's it.
If you need to know it, learn it. Life will happen. The tests will come.
We plan and things go sideways. Who we are is revealed not in what happens to us, but rather how we respond...our next set of actions. Everyday. All of our lives.
And the obstacles change. But there is one thing that remains consistent. God.
My prayer to you is that you revel in the challenges. Setbacks and obstacles are what make us perfectly flawed and uniquely equipped to weather each storm and battle whatever life throws at us. We make a way out of no way. It is what makes us human. And beautifully designed in God's image.
And our gratitude for the tough times and failures, and our praise through them will set us up for victory.
Be a light for God.