If my life were a book, and the days were the pages that became the chapters that told my story, we would be coming upon a plot twist. You know, that unexpected development, often used to shake up the storyline?  Welcome to my plot twist!

I am walking through a chapter I did not expect nor desire. The reality is, this new chapter is tough.

I’m learning about the ebb and flow of grief, coupled with heartache and loss. On April sixteenth of 2024, my beloved husband walked into the ever-loving arms of Jesus. I can rejoice knowing he is healed and whole. However, our family’s world has been shaken and our hearts pierced with the void of an extraordinary husband, father, “PopPops,” brother, uncle, son-in-law, friend, missionary, Sunday school teacher, doctor, and servant of the Most High King. I am now a character smack dab in the middle of a story I didn’t anticipate. A widow at 58. As with all good stories, “character development” is key. Fortunately, I get to choose how my character develops.

There are decisions to be made, and questions, not just any questions, deep-rooted soul questions. Will I allow my heart to be hardened in this harsh season of loss? Will I allow my faith to be shattered by death? Will my prayers fade away from fear of being disappointed in the outcome? Not easy questions, dear reader, but real questions by a real woman who has experienced profound loss. I don’t have all the answers. I’ve cried more tears than I knew humanly possible.

As I embark on these next chapters, I refuse to let this experience cause me to shrink back from trusting God. I will stand on the life-giving promises in His Word! Oh, I’m certain that there will be a paragraph on a page here and there that shows the frailty of my humanity. However, I will not stop there.

     I will look,

     and I will see

     where my help comes from —

     The Lord,

     the maker of Heaven and Earth.

We are daily writing pages that become chapters that become our story. Lean in, precious one, and allow the author and finisher of your faith to have the final say!