I would like for you to meet my new friend, Jenn Buell. Actually, I would like to meet my new friend Jenn Buell too. I live in Arkansas, she lives in South Dakota.
You can meet her through this guest post and I will meet her in one week in North Carolina at She Speaks conference. I asked her to share here because of her first clear thought. I can relate. After reading her story, ask yourself a question. What would be your first clear thought if your world turned upside down?
Radio Shows & Trusting God
Can you even fathom it is already July 8th? Summer is flying by and it has been a crazy day here. I’m sure lots of you experienced similar days: insane to-do lists, kids needing to be shuttled about and/or entertained, and plans you ambitiously set out to accomplish. I had plans to write a blog post that was brilliant, encouraging, faith-filled, and would knock your socks off and go viral. (Wait…I always have those hopes for my blog posts. Pretty much all bloggers do.)
And then life started pulling at me. I was so thankful for my friend, Deb, who mentors me. She stopped some of my mental insanity with encouraging texts and offers to pray for me as my day began.
courtesy stocksnap.io
In the midst of my insanity, I realized I needed to take a moment and post some good news: I’m going to be on a radio show tomorrow afternoon. Yes, I know I’m on a radio show almost every afternoon. (KSLT.com M-Sat, 2-7pm MDT) But this one isn’t MY show.
I did an interview with a wonderful She Speaks Conference alumnus—my first interview other than my own radio show in Rapid City, SD. “My Journey of Faith” reaches about 188,000 listeners online with host Cynthia McCutcheon who lives in Arkansas. You, my sweet internet friends, can check it out here any time after 1:30 CDT on Thursday, July 9th.
Speaking to Cynthia about my journey through grief and what I’ve learned was easier than I feared. I was reminded that I have walked through it with so many that have stumbled across my blog or who have been present with me. I am prepping to return to She Speaks Conference in a few weeks to hone my craft and learn new, amazing things alongside gifted women like me. Doing so has reminded me that this journey has been far more than I ever could have imagined.
As I prepare to pitch book ideas to publishers, I’ve looked back over the past 22 months since my husband’s sudden death. One glaring thing stands out in the view back on this journey: God’s presence each and every step. The thing that brings me to tears most often now is His faithfulness.
So maybe I do have something brilliant and encouraging to share with you today, reader. Are you ready? Here goes.
Trust God.
That’s it. Trust Him.
Photo: Danka & Peter, unsplash.com
Oh, you will never go wrong with that advice. You will never falter when you keep your gaze focused on the God who loves you more than you can fathom. You will never find yourself lost in the woods when you trust him to show you next steps. He sees what is in the path around that bend where you can’t see. He loves you and He can be trusted!
The night my husband died, my first clear thought was that I trusted God. I trusted that He could see what I could not and I have not regretted that choice once. This journey has been hard. It was not what I would have chosen nor what I imagined my life would look like. There have been dark moments when I have struggled. But God has never let me down. Feeling the honest emotions of grief and loneliness and admitting this is hard does not lessen who He is or how He has cared for us.
I trust God. You can trust God because He is faithful.
So today, I invite you to listen to some of what I learned on this journey by tuning into that radio show tomorrow. Or perhaps visiting some of my older blog posts from the early days of wrestling with grief. Or even better still, talk to God. Ask Him to show up in your life today in some way that reveals just who He is. As much as I adore telling you how faithful He is, He loves showing you so much more.
(This blog ran on jennbuell.com originally on July 8, 2015. Feel free to stop by and check out more from Jenn there.)
Great encourgment that we all need
This so reminded me of my husband’s aunt. She lost her first husband to heart failure when he was 53 and they still had three teenage boys at home, lost her dad to cancer a year later and then Lost her youngest son 22 at the time who was killed in an auto accident. At the hospital after the son died she was sobbing (of course) and then suddenly stopped and beat her fists into the air and calmly said “I love the Lord. I love the Lord”. When nothing seems to make sense to us, we can indeed have that one clear moment when at least we know we love the Lord and He loves us. Beautiful post!!!!!
What an incredible act of trust and the peace that passes understanding
As I read this, my thoughts went to the days right after my husband walked out on our family! It was during the busiest time of year for my business. It was the night before our son’s 13th birthday. It was during the remodelling of our house. It was in a very dramatic fashion with lots of yelling and slamming of doors, in front of our young children. My first clear thought came a couple of weeks later- that God is taking care of us. We had been thrust into the desert; but, God was providing the manna and the quail! Not many physical things changed around the house. The household actually ran much smoother. The children and I were devastated and scared, but we all drew closer to one another, more importantly to our Heavenly Father. Our congregation wrapped there loving arms around our family. Slowly we healed–scars remain, but none of us are wandering in the desert of devastation. God is great!, Jesus is alive!
What a beautiful testimony to the church, your faith and God’s provision