Has Life Surprised You?Minta

You Can Trust God Has life surprised you? Not been what you expected? Have you ever thought, “How did I get here?” I think it’s happened to all of us. I know it’s happened to me! When my first husband and I were 37 years old, he went to bed before me on New Year’s night 1997 and he died . He hadn’t even been sick. Talk about an unexpected surprise! And not the good kind. We were pastors of a church in Boise, Idaho, and after he died I took over pastoring and raising our 12- and 13-year-old sons on my own. I never expected to be a single parent, and I certainly never expected to be a pastor by myself! It was one of the worst times of my life – but it was also one of the best times, because I pressed into God like never before. I spent hours reading His Word because I had to have it. I needed His wisdom, His comfort, His power, His direction like never before. And I found out He’s a very present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1) I had known God for many years, but it was during that time that I fell deeply in love with Him. And I found out just how trustworthy He is. He is so faithful. And He knows how to help you get through trouble and help you thrive. After I had pastored the church for about four years, the Lord began to deal with me about moving back to Tulsa, Oklahoma. That wasn’t what I expected either, and I didn’t want to go! I didn’t want to leave the Northwest again for the flat, hot Midwest. I didn’t want to move away from my natural family and my wonderful church family. I also didn’t want to go backward in my life. I’d been in full-time ministry for more than 15 years, and I just didn’t see how moving back to Oklahoma would be a promotion. But God kept nudging me. Have you noticed that when something is His idea, it sticks around? You can ignore Him for a while, or even try running away from Him, but He just keeps bringing you back to His plan – even if it’s different than you expected. You can trust Him.