Last Friday night, my husband Scott and I went on a special date. We went back to the place of our first date 29 years ago, Frodo’s Pizza across from Greenville Tech. We haven’t been there in years. The pizza was great. The service was great. What was even better was the long retrospective conversation we had sitting in that booth.

If you had told us 29 years ago what was to come for us, we would have been shocked. They say life is stranger than fiction. We would certainly not have believed what the next 29 years would bring.

Among the things we never would have believed…

I would have had a business for 23 years and a women’s ministry for 11 years.

I would face breast cancer and melanoma and beat both. But I would live in pain every day of my life with RSD after the breast surgeries.

I would have a close friend embezzle over $600,000 from me and my family, and survive it unscathed.

My dad would suffer from Parkinson’s. He would be healed in Heaven after 27 years of dealing with it.

My mom would fight breast cancer and colon cancer. She would defeat both when she went to be with Jesus after 3 years of fighting, at 70 years old.

We would adopt a 15-month-old son from Ukraine during the middle of 9-11 named Bradley. This little boy that the doctors told us would always be small in size would grow to 6’ tall and 190 lbs. After many challenges, he would make Eagle scout, graduate high school, work full time, and be on track to go into the military in another year, or wherever else God plans for him.

We would have a son, Taylor, who is almost 25 with a precious wife Reid. They both serve and love the Lord with all their hearts. Taylor is a Director at Chick-Fil-A, and Reid will graduate in December with her Masters to become an Occupational Therapist.

Both my sons would work at Chick-Fil-A. Had I known this, I would have spent more time teaching them cooking.

We would start an online retail business. Back then, Ebay and Amazon didn’t exist. Actually, the world wide web was just beginning.

Are there some things we would have changed about this 29 years if we could? Yes, of course. I would not have allowed the embezzlement to go on for 12 years. A dermatologist would have treated the mole before it turned to melanoma. I would have spent more time with my parents. However, so much of what happened was beyond our control.

This roller coaster ride has been very bumpy with ups and downs, highs and lows, twists and turns. Sometimes you want to throw up. You get jerked one way, then another.

We never know what is around the corner. Sometimes we want to hold on for dear life in terror. Other times we want to hold up your hands and enjoy the ride. God knows what is ahead. His design is for our ultimate experience in life, and to make us more like Jesus. He knows what we need, and He blesses us with the highs, and He comforts us through the lows.  Don’t give up. The ride is worth it, and the Creator is holding us safely through His design for our life ride.

When the valley seems too deep and the mountain too high to climb, we have to remember that God is working a plan.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Whether we endure it with fear or enjoy our ride is up to us. We can be plunged into the downward spirals. We can be thrown for a loop, kicking and screaming all the way. Or we can let go and let God, knowing we are safe because He has made the way for us (John 14:6).

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Paul found the secret, how to be content no matter what.

“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Phillipians 4:11-13)

Have I been content through it all? Absolutely not! As a Christian, I know this world is not my home, that is why it is so difficult. But I have learned that Christ has been the source of my strength, my comfort, and my provider through it all while I am here, one day at a time. We do not always understand. But God does. To live a contented Christian life, it has to be enough for us that God is in control and He loves us more than we can ever imagine no matter what. We have to try to keep a positive outlook and never give up. 

Dear Lord: Your ways are perfect and higher than our ways. We may not always understand why You allow the twists and turns of our lives. But we know that You are working a plan and that You never give up on us or let go of us. Your grace is enough to get us through anything. May we embrace this incredible, amazing life You have given us and use it up to love others and serve You. When our ride is over, may we arrive in Your presence, spent for You. May we be thankful to reflect that You have been holding us tightly through every joyous up and every painful down of it all. Thank You for Your great love for us. Amen

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalm 18:2

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Do you feel like you have been riding a roller coaster? Maybe you want off? Maybe you have looked back at a trial and found that, even though it was a difficult ride, God has been holding you through it all? Please share your experiences, your thoughts and comments.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”