Papa God – Little Did She Know

…She’d Face Spiritual Warfare

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” I Peter 5:8

I was raised in a Baptist church, and my family was in attendance every time the doors were open. When I hit pre-school age, my parents enrolled me in a Christian school, and from age 3 until I completed 9th grade (and transferred to public school), my education – math, science, English, history – revolved around the Bible.

I received Jesus as my savior when I was in first or second grade, and I was baptized in the church a few years later. Both of my parents were heavily involved in church and school activities. In all aspects of life, I was pointed to Jesus daily.

That’s why it never made sense to me that, as a Christian, I felt a disconnection from God most of my life. When people around me talked about hearing from God or being led by God, I couldn’t relate.

I mean, on paper, I checked all the right boxes, but in reality I didn’t experience His presence or His voice like they did. Looking back, I think this was because I somehow missed out on what I now believe is the most important piece of information you should receive after you accept Jesus Christ as your savior: You have to have a personal relationship with God.

Between the disconnect I felt and the church hurt I experienced, it was very easy to grow numb to what I knew I was missing. Yes, I was a Christian, and yes, I loved God, but I loved the things of the world more.

And that’s why Satan left me alone for so long.

Somewhere along the way, I accepted the lie that I wasn’t good enough for God to talk to or lead into ministry and turned to the world for my happiness, and when that happened, I was not considered a threat to Satan’s plans to wreak havoc. By ignoring God, I was one less redemption-cloaked warrior Satan had to worry about.

Even though I couldn’t see Him or hear Him or experience Him, I never stopped believing in God. I had one foot in the world and one foot in “religion” when what I needed was both feet firmly planted in a personal relationship with God. Satan used my ignorance over needing that personal relationship to keep me stagnant. Every time I thought about going to church, the idea of finding one was overridden by the memory of church hurt. So I told myself the lie I hear so many people tell themselves: you don’t have to go to church to worship God.

There were times when the Holy Spirit broke through that haze I was walking in and reminded me of my roots in Papa God and my need to find a church to attend. Back in 2017, my husband and I actually started attending a church in Columbus, Ohio, that we really liked. It was my first time going to a church where I could feel God’s presence in the room every single Sunday. That’s when my Prodigal Redemption began. That’s when God started bringing beauty from my ashes, bringing my dry bones of faith to life.

So imagine how annoyed I was – and how much Satan enjoyed the show – when my husband and I transferred back to West Virginia for employment in 2018. I was so frustrated. How many years did it take me to walk into a church and find peace? To find God there waiting for me? And then, He plucks us up and moves us.

If you know me, you know my frustrated face.

So there we were, back in West Virginia, and I was missing that church. We visited several, but it just wasn’t the same. That frustration grew and grew, bursting through the seams and allowing space for those old thoughts to come back: “I don’t really have to go to church on Sunday. I can love God from home.”

I don’t remember when we first visited River Ridge Church, but knowing what I know now, I’m sure Satan went on alert the minute we pulled into the parking lot. By fall 2023, I was attending regularly. The more I went, the more I loved everything about it: the worship service, the messages, the sanctuary where I could feel God’s presence.

It was a Sunday in October 2023 that God spoke directly to my heart. That morning in church, one of the staff members announced that the church would have a baptism service in a few weeks, and if anyone was interested in being baptized, they should reach out to Pastor Jay.

Get baptized.

Those were the words that went through me.

It wasn’t an ask.

It wasn’t a suggestion.

It was a commandment from God.

I was skeptical at first because why wouldn’t I be? I had never heard Him speak so clearly to me before. Besides, I had been baptized when I was little. Could you be baptized again?

I don’t know if it was that day or a few days later, but I went out to my God spot on our property to talk to God about this. Just because I was going back to church, it didn’t mean I was doing good enough as a Christian to make a bold, public statement about my faith. What if I failed? When I backslid – because surely I would – all those witnesses would know. And surely they would judge me.

Looking back, I see that as the first arrow shot in that battle of spiritual warfare. The tip was poisoned with the sentiment of “You’re not good enough.”

Thank you, Jesus, that we don’t have to be good enough because we will never be good enough on our own. That’s why Jesus died on the cross – He is the only one good enough, and He stepped in to be good enough for us. But I didn’t recognize that at the time. All I could see were all my past failures as a Christian.

Out at the spot, Papa God repeated His commandment.

Get baptized.

So, I reached out to Pastor Jay and signed up.

And that’s when the real assault began.

Supernatural knives stabbing at my unworthiness, tearing me open to expose the fear of being an imposter. Arrows ripping through the scars on my heart left from church hurt. Swords slashing at my physical health, causing nausea, anxiety and a fear that kept me up at night because what if I backslid again? I could not fail, and the anxiety over avoiding what felt like a certainty was like a poison spreading through me and weakening me, assigning me to certain defeat before I even began.

An AI depiction of the previous paragraph.

The closer I got to the baptism service on November 5, the worse the physical impact got. I pushed it all away as long as I could, but the Sunday before the baptism, I reached my breaking point. I woke up that Sunday morning and was such a physical mess that I couldn’t make myself go to church. I went in my home office and started cleaning, trying to get my mind off of what was happening internally. I found myself sitting in the middle of the floor, my head in my hands, crying and praying. What was wrong with me? Why was this happening?

Spiritual warfare.

The answer came so easily, and it made so much sense, even though I had never experienced anything like that before. Satan did not want me to get baptized.

He did not want me to take that step because he knew better than me what it would lead to. He knew being submerged and raised back up in the baptistry as a public profession of my faith and my choice to follow Jesus would be the first step in a new chapter for me, a chapter centered on trusting God and telling others constantly about what I see God doing every day and how I believe He is doing good even when He’s silent. Especially when He’s silent.

Desperate for help, I met with Pastor Jay after the second service that day to share with him what was going on, and he covered me in prayer. I’m grateful for Pastor Jay’s friendship, but more than that, I’m so grateful he was there that day to counsel me.

That was the day I dug in my heels, determined to be re-baptized no matter. I knew enough to know that if Satan was trying to stop it, it had to happen.

The next Saturday night – the night before the baptism – those physical attacks started again. I randomly threw my back out late in the evening. Then I woke up sick at my stomach and found that I had somehow lost my voice. I had plenty of excuses that morning to skip church and the baptism, but I was not giving in. By the time I made it to church, my stomach and back were both fine. And who needs a voice when you’re making a public declaration of faith through action anyway?

There are zero regrets about any of it. In fact, I’m so grateful for that day and for all the things that led up to it. And I’m grateful to God for waiting for me through all those years to turn back to Him. I’m grateful His grace is sufficient for the times I ignored Him and for the times I made excuses and for the many years I held Him at arms’ length.

My baptism at River Ridge Church on November 5, 2023.

As Pastor Matt was raising me back up out of the water, I remember this sensation I had, though it’s hard to put into words. As I was coming back up out of the water, I felt the water roll back, over and away from me, like the path was clearing. It felt like a rebirth. Like a brand-new start.

Because it was.

In the two years that followed my baptism, I went on my first mission trip to McDowell County, WV, and became a Sunday school volunteer for K-3rd grades and a door greeter, which is my favorite volunteer activity. I also joined the prayer team, which led to becoming a prayer counselor for folks who want to pray after services on Sunday. Being a prayer counselor is definitely one of those things I felt unworthy of and unqualified for, but it’s been an amazing experience.

This year, I’ll be the team lead for that same mission trip to McDowell County, WV. And the biggest news of all is that in January, I accepted a part-time position with the church to help start a new ministry under Family Services.

Me. A church staff member, helping plan and launch a new ministry, when a year ago I specifically remember thinking how awesome it would be to work at the church but that I would never be “good enough.”

Me. Leading a mission trip to Southern West Virginia to serve others and love others and share Jesus.

Me. Volunteering in roles to welcome people who are nervous about going to a new church like I once was and praying with people who feel lost like I once did.

It’s no wonder Satan didn’t want me to get baptized. He knew I would say yes to every opportunity to serve God. He knew I would pursue God with everything I have – there was no reason to worry about failure. Yes, I still struggle with sin every day like everyone else, but I lean into the fact that God’s grace is greater than my sin. He doesn’t call me a failure or turn His back on me when I mess up. In fact, He helps me grow and do better.

Satan knew I was going to come up out of that baptistry with a faith on fire.

The spiritual warfare didn’t end with my baptism. I still have my moments of feeling like an imposter and feeling unworthy. Past memories of church experiences still sneak into my head sometimes and make me doubt people and their intentions. I still hear Satan whisper in my ear that I’m not good enough, reminding me of my inadequacies and trying to sell me on why I don’t belong in leadership roles at the church. He uses busyness to distract me from reading my Bible and spending time in prayer like I should. But Satan isn’t winning this war. God’s mercies are new every day, and every day I try my best to follow Jesus, love others and share the Good News. Besides, we know Who will be victorious in the end. As the song says, “If it’s not good, then it’s not over yet.”

If you’re feeling disconnected from God like I was, I have three pieces of advice for you.

The first is, whether you want to hear it or not, go to church and open your heart to Papa God. You can sit in the back row and be the last one in and the first one out for the service. You don’t have to talk to anyone. Just be there with God and let Him talk to you. Let Him begin His good work of healing in you. I didn’t believe healing from church hurt was possible, and I have experienced it myself. He is the Great Physician, and He can do anything.

The second is to immerse yourself in things that will draw you closer to God and keep your mind on Him.

One of the first things I did was set my car radio to K-Love. I did it out of obligation at first, but now that is my go-to station. I love listening to worship music, but I used to avoid it because it was “boring.” (Have you listened to Tauren Wells or Brandon Lake or Phil Wickham? Nothing boring there!)
I also watched “The Chosen.” If you have not watched that series, get on it right now. I’m serious.
Also, start reading that Bible. When I told God I wanted to be closer to Him, He told me to read my Bible. I snarled my nose because it was not fun to read, and He said, “Do it anyway.” I started at Matthew 1 doing a chapter a day. And you know what? Watching “The Chosen” starting with Season 1 and reading the New Testament really helped the Bible come alive.
Use daily devotion books to get you going with your Bible reading. Lysa TerKeurst is a great auther, and I’ve heard great things about Tara-Leigh Cobble’s Bible Recap program to read the Bible in a year. She has a companion podcast you can listen too along with the readings or, if you’re just getting started, just listen to the podcast.
Find faith-based podcasts (I like “Whoa, That’s Good” and “Bible Recap”), and follow Christian content creators on Facebook and Instagram. Surround yourself with musical and theatrical and creative fingers pointing to God all the time.

The thirdis to look up and look for Him. Expect Him to move and then watch. You’ll see things that happen around you and pieces fit together and crazy good stuff happen – stuff only He can do. When I started looking and trying to connect the dots – guys, it will blow your mind. And it will feed your faith. I used to feel bad that my faith in God answering my prayers was so weak, but I didn’t feel like I deserved it or my needs were as important as others. And would He really do it? Do miracles still really happen today? YES. It took me seeing Him stop every single hurricane from making landfall last year for me to fully know how capable and loving and faithful God is to each and every one of us. (That will make more sense if you read “…She’d See God Move Mountains.”)

Song for This Week

“Take It All Back” by Tauren Wells

“I’m calling the angels down
I’m storming the gates of hell
Tell the devil he don’t own my soul
I’m taking back what the enemy stole”

“Battle Belongs” by Phil Wickham

“When all I see is the battle, You see my victory
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me
There’s nothing to fear now for I am safe with You”

“Get Behind Me” by Emerson Day

“The same power that raised my Savior
Is the power that lives in me
So, if you wanna pick a fight, you better think twice
‘Cause He’s got an angel army”

…She’d See God Move Mountains

This past summer, I was on the verge of quitting my job. Like, walking-away-without-a-plan quitting. My internal gas tank was completely empty.

Let me pause here to say that I really do like my job. I love that God uses the American Red Cross as a medium through which I can love and serve like Jesus. (Want to learn more about what I do in Disaster at the American Red Cross? Check out “Humberto, Imelda and Pre-Landfall Disaster Response.”)

But occasionally I go through one of these “episodes.” I don’t know what else to call them, but I know they are born out of burnout, compassion fatigue, extreme emotional exhaustion and exacerbated chronic illness symptoms. Every time I have experienced one of these episodes, I have prayed and asked God to open a door and move me to another job. A less stressful job. A job more compatible with my chronic illness symptoms. And every time, He has said the same thing.

Stay.

I know He hears my prayers when I have no words, so He has definitely heard every sigh when that’s the answer He gives. Every time I plead my case to Him, the end result is the same: I submit and say, “If this is where You want me to be, I’ll stay as long as You want me here.”

The episode I had this past summer was different. It felt bigger than the others, more desperate. Looking back, I think this episode was also compounded by #spiritualwarfare because what happened when I obeyed and stayed instead of jumping ship has had a huge impact on my faith.

It started when we stood up a disaster relief operation in mid-February for flooding in Southern West Virginia. Not only are operations stressful and demanding, but the impact of knowing others – in this case, West Virginians – were affected, is heartbreaking.

February 2025 flooding in Welch, WV. Photo and story can be found on https://www.wvnews.com/.

I had been to the town of Welch, WV, in June 2024 on a mission trip to assist in cleaning up buildings on the main street that had been damaged from a previous round of flooding. The 2025 flood was a personal hurt for me because I had met some of the people who had moved to Welch and put everything they had into those buildings and starting new businesses and faith-based operations to help the rural community.

It was during the Southern West Virginia disaster operation that my dad was hospitalized for pneumonia and my cat, Miles, had a life-threatening health episode. Did I mention stress exacerbates #IdiopathicHypersomnia symptoms?

On Father’s Day, flash flooding in both Wheeling (Ohio County) and Fairmont (Marion County), WV, led us to stand up a second disaster operation. In Wheeling there were fatalities, adding a different level of complexity to the urgency of providing help on the ground.

Aftermath of the flash flooding in Ohio County, WV, on Father’s Day 2025 that took the lives of 7. Photo and story can be found at https://wvmetronews.com.

Then, on July 4, I woke up to news of the Texas flash flooding that took at least 135 lives, including children attending Camp Mystic.

Through my tears, I had that same conversation with God again, and again I got the same answer.

Stay.

What I did next is what I think Papa God was waiting for me to do all along. I said, “Okay, but I need your help. This job is too hard. My IH is too hard. I can’t do it by myself.”

“By myself.” That was part of the problem. I was trying to do this job God wanted me to do without Him. I had asked God for this job, but I had never invited Him into it. I don’t think when He put me in this job He intended for me to carry it all on my own because He knew it would be a lot. And as soon as those words were out of my mouth – “I need your help” – I now know He immediately rolled up His sleeves and got to work.

I didn’t realize until just a couple of weeks ago what God had been working on for me between July and November. There are three big things in particular – mountains He moved – that stick out to me when I think about how He heard me and He responded. First, I realized He had grown the size of my volunteer team. This is no easy feat. There is a shortage of volunteers, and the work we do on my team can be very complex. He has given me smart, willing, compassionate volunteers to help me carry the load every day, which is helpful to me in my chronic illness and a benefit to the region – and nation – when we need to respond to disaster.

Second, He provided me with the only medication that has had any kind of impact on my Idiopathic Hypersomnia. I needed that wakefulness to be able to train my new team members. I have literally been on every medication, including Xywav, in the last three years, and this is the first time I’ve experienced any level of relief.

Third – and this is the big one – He literally rerouted every hurricane in the 2025 season that was heading for the East Coast.

You read that right.My God moved the Mount Everest of mountains for me. He did what I never even entertained as a possibility when asking for help to get through hurricane season. He made what was expected to be an above average season the opposite.

“…Even the wind and waves obey Him!” (Matthew 8:27, Mark 4:41, Luke 8:25)

There has not been one single hurricane that has made landfall on the East Coast this hurricane season. Yes, Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall, but it wasn’t a hurricane. Yes, Hurricane Erin came close enough to cause beach erosion, strong surf, rip currents and coastal flooding, but it didn’t make landfall. Yes, Hurricane Melissa made landfall, but it was in Jamaica, not the U.S., making it an International Red Cross response. Even Imelda, who appeared to be on track to make landfall on the East Coast near North Carolina on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, made a sharp right out at sea like the others.

Photo of Imelda path from https://www.accuweather.com.

If you google the reason why most of this year’s hurricanes turned right and stayed out at sea instead of making landfall, you’ll see articles and videos explaining that dips – or troughs – in the jet stream have helped push the tropical systems out to sea and away from the East Coast. If you google why Imelda turned away from North Carolina, you’ll see credit given to Hurricane Humberto and the Fujiwhara effect.

But I know the truth. There was a mountain called Hurricane Season standing in my way, and when I asked God for general help, He got specific about clearing a path.

I can hear you now. “Jenn, you really think God diverted the entire hurricane season for you? Seriously?”

Serious as a Cat 5.

I think God answered a lot of people’s prayers by diverting those storms because a lot of people are tired, and a lot of people still need time to recover from last year.

But I also believe He did it for me. I asked for help, and He heard me and He answered.

Trust me, kid. I’ve got you.

If I had left my job based on my emotions instead of obeying and staying, I would have missed out on seeing God do big things. Faith-changing things. Worship-inspiring things. Every day I listen to “What an Awesome God” by Phil Wickham because it expresses what I feel after seeing what He has done. “Fire in His eyes. Healing in His veins. Everywhere His glory on display. Take a look at the stars. He can name ’em all. Before His throne every knee falls. The demons have to run, the angels have to praise.Even the wind and waves obey.”

I have a confession. My faith in God following through for me has always been weak. Not because I don’t think He can but because I think why would He do for me when there are so many others hurting more than I am. If I had left my job instead of listening to Him, I would not have seen what He is willing to do for me. I would not have seen how truly big my God is. How awesome my God is. It is emboldening and exciting and beautiful to see what He can do. And I understand now when people say that if you trust God, He will work things out in ways that are bigger and better than you can ever imagine.

I literally can’t wait to see what He does next.

Did you know I have a Spotify list for the songs I mention in my blog posts?

Look for Little Did She Know on Spotify and follow along!

Song Recommendation for the Week:

“Don’t Stop Praying” by Matthew West

“What’s your impossible? You’re ‘I need a miracle?’ What’s got you barely hanging by a single thread? …Don’t stop believing ‘cause mountains move with just a little faith. And your Father’s heard every single word you’re saying, so don’t stop praying.”

…God Will Avenge Your Hurt

If you know me, you know I am not a confrontational person. However, if you hurt my family, my friends, or my cats, my initial urge is to pay it back tenfold. Like Katniss Everdeen, I raise my hand to volunteer as tribune for the #AngerGames. I’m ready to fight for the title of judge, jury and punisher. Don’t act like you are surprised, and don’t act like you wouldn’t be the same way.

But here’s the good news: We don’t have to lash out with fists or words when someone hurts us because nothing we do in response to offense compares to God’s response when one of His children is hurt. (His children = you and me.)

On a rare morning when I wasn’t fighting wakefulness with #IdiopathicHypersomnia, I went outside to my God spot – the place I frequently go to talk to God – to read my Bible. He unexpectedly gifted me Psalm 18.

I didn’t have a plan of what I was going to read that morning, and I don’t even know how I landed on Psalm 18:6-19. I had to read it twice to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me. It left me stunned. To paraphrase:

“In my distress, I called upon the Lord, and from His temple, He heard me. The earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the mountains trembled and quaked, because He was angry. Smoke went from His nostrils, and a devouring fire from His mouth. He parted the heavens and came down; thick blackness under His feet…He came swiftly on the wings of the wind. And He sent out His arrows and scattered my enemies…The foundations of the world were laid bare at Your rebuke, Lord…He drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support…He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
Psalm 18:6-19

Do you want to see something really cool? When I asked ChatGPT to use Romans 18:6-19 to create an image of how God was depicted in those verses, this is what it gave me:

If this is even the tiniest bit of a true depiction of the God of the Universe – the One I get to call Papa God, the One who calls me chosen, the One who fights for me every minute and has already won all my battles, the One who delights in me – how blessed am I? And if I am blessed, so are you, friend, because He calls you chosen too.

There’s another image I came across about a year ago. There is a really talented painter who has a series of images I love. His name is Kevin Carden, and this is his depiction of when we are in trouble and Jesus comes running to save us:

Friend, no matter what you’re going through…

No matter what what they accuse you of…

No matter what they say about you…

No matter how alone you feel…

When you cry out to God, He hears you, and He responds. Even when the only words you can get out are a whispered “God, help me” or when there are no words at all, only tears.

The thing I love about Lauren Daigle’s song “Rescue” is that it is written from God’s POV when we send out an SOS to Him. I had never even thought about what God might possibly say when I cry out to Him, and hearing this song helped me understand just a little better God’s love for us.

Rescue – Lauren Daigle

“I hear you whisper underneath your breath, I hear your SOS. I will send out an army to find you In the middle of the darkest night. It’s true, I will rescue you. I will never stop marching to reach you In the middle of the hardest fight. It’s true, I will rescue you.”

I’m finally learning now, after 45 years, how passionate the God of the Universe is about me. Sinful, weak, judgmental, vengeance-seeking me. And friend, He loves you just as passionately with enormous, earth-trembling, mountain-foundation-shaking love.

He sees what they do to you. He hears what they say to you and what they say about you when you are not in the room. He knows it hurts, and He knows you want them to pay. And I think it’s okay to defend yourself, but don’t wage war. Don’t harbor hate. Don’t seek vengeance.

Vengeance is God’s, and He will make all things right.

Friend, this world is cold and hard and painful. Fix your eyes on the Father who created you in His image, on the God who delights in you. Let Him love you. Let Him carry your pain. Let Him have the vengeance.

Trust Him. He’s already won the battle for you.

The best place in this world is under His wings, fully protected and fully at peace, resting in the truth that His help is on the way, always.

Recommended Song for This Week: Help Is on the Way – Toby Mac

“Sometimes it’s days, Sometimes it’s years, Some face a lifetime of falling tears. But He’s in the darkness, He’s in the cold, Just like the morning, He always shows…Help is on the way.”

Little Did She Know: Origin Story

You ever hit rock bottom and found God there? I did. And He delivered on examples of His faithfulness all on one Sunday morning to the point there was no doubt left in me that He is for me.

April 2025 was a tough month. Our foster kittens, #TeamFrosty, were on month four of a grueling ringworm treatment regimen. At work, we had wrapped up a disaster operation for flooding in Southern West Virginia, and those operations always take a toll. My #idiopathichypersomnia was flaring. My immune-compromised cat, Miles, got very sick.

Then my dad ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. It felt like things all around me were spinning out of control, and I was so defeated.

On Sunday, April 13th, I went to church. During the 30-minute drive, I told God I was broken, and then I proceeded to list off all the ways to prove my point. Looking back, I imagine He smiled and shook His head because He knew what I was going to find at church.

It’s true I always cry during the worship songs, but on this day, I was bawling, that whole-body-shaking kind of cry you never want anyone to see. Every single worship song sung that morning spoke directly to me:

God So Loved (We the Kingdom): “Come all you weary, come all you thirsty, Come to the well that never runs dry. Drink of the water, come and thirst no more.”

Stand in Your Love (Josh Baldwin): “When darkness tries to roll over my bones, When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own, When brokenness and pain is all I know, I won’t be shaken, no, I won’t be shaken. ‘Cause my fear doesn’t stand a chance When I stand in Your love.”

This Is Our God (Phil Wickham): “Remember that fear that took our breath away? Faith so weak that we could barely pray, But He heard every word, every whisper. This is our God, this is who He is, He loves us.”

I Was Made for More (Bethel Music, Josh Baldwin, and Jenn Johnson): “’Cause I wasn’t made to be tending a grave. I was called by name, Born and raised back to life again. I was made for more.”

The words that came to me over and over were: Trust me, kid. I’ve got you.

I sat down and began taking note in my phone of what was happening: Every single worship song is a love letter from Him to me. A DM from His lips to my heart. A not-so-gentle reminder that He is not limited by what I think makes me unworthy and that He is working for me.

The sermon that day, delivered by Pastor Jay, was on the last chapter of Ruth: “Ruth & Redemption.” The sermon’s theme was “Little did they know.”

That’s right – the blog name I had been praying for, asking God to give me, for over a year was handed to me just like that.

The sermon talked about how every person’s story has pain, death, and suffering. About how “We’re written into a greater story, and we’re sent out for the greatest purpose: to love God, to love others, to serve God, and help others know Him.”

About how “God uses broken people to fulfill His plan.”

I’m sure I was sitting there with my mouth wide open. I had just confessed that morning how broken I was, and God gave me reassurance through Jay’s sermon that my brokenness can’t stop Him.

Trust me, kid. I’ve got you.

“We don’t have it together, but we trust our lives to the One who does.”

After the service, I went back to the K-3 room for Sunday School duty, and reminders of God’s faithfulness continued to overwhelm me. I stood there, crying again, reading the month’s memory verse. John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Trust me, kid.

The takeaway for the Sunday school lesson that day was “Whatever happens, remember God is still working.”

I’ve got you.

On April 13, I sought Him, and He didn’t just show up. He delivered reassurance after reassurance to me in a way that left no doubt. I don’t believe in coincidences. I do believe God moves us to do certain things, like pick those worship songs or write that sermon with specific words, because someone needs to hear the message a certain way.

God laid on my heart over a year ago to do this blog, and I have dragged my feet. Maybe it’s an exercise in obedience; maybe He wants me to get my creative juices flowing again for the next big adventure. I think, though, He wants me to do this blog because like I needed those worship songs and those sermon words that morning, someone out there needs to see examples of how faithful and loving our God is.

Thank you to Jay Teodoro for letting me borrow “Little Did She Know” for this blog. You can hear his sermon on Ruth & Redemption here.