Double For Your Trouble.

It has been a long time since I wrote a blog post. I am not going to lie--- I had lots of material to blog about when life had a lot of “unknowns” and I was in a season of waiting. I am so thankful for all that God has done for Matt and I, and this verse in Zechariah is one that I have seen unfold in my life:
“Come back to the place of safety, all you prisoners who still have hope! I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles.” 9:12

A year ago I started praying that God would fulfill all of the longings in my husband’s heart when it came to ministry and life in general. It is very hard to see the potential in your spouse, and yet see them unfulfilled and jaded all at the same time. Many times he struggled with the idea of still being in ministry, and wondering if there was any other career that he could get into, and quietly back out of the calling on his life.

In the late spring he decided that he was going to start training, and do a test, in the hopes of becoming a police officer. Two days before he was suppose to go to the test, he sprained his ankle, leaving him sitting on the couch, one leg up, iced… and spending a lot of time with God.

The next few months it was like God was going through a checklist of things that he (and I) needed to learn, and work out with Him. We mentally ran around in circles wondering what the next step would be, and what direction God would have us go in.

One weekend in July we traveled back to my hometown, where I had always had the dream to plant a church, and begin a ministry. We were all excited dreaming, and planning, and we were so passionate about the potential. We arrived, and within 24 hours, both of us knew that it wasn’t going to happen, and we were supposed to remain in youth ministry. This was a huge revelation for us, because it was the first of all the “possibilities” that we were both had a peace about. It just felt right.

The next week he got an email from the man that would eventually be his supervisor in Saskatoon.

Now here we are, 5 months later, and we are living it up in the Sassy Kat, and we couldn’t be happier. Our house hasn’t sold, we are imposing ourselves on people we just met, and all of our stuff is in storage… and we couldn’t be happier! (Maybe we should ask the people who are letting us stay with them, how happy they are???)

God is so faithful to us. He always answers when we call on Him, and He listens to our prayers. I thank him for fulfilling the desires of Matt’s as well as my heart. Hearing my husband say how much he loves our church, co-workers, youth group, and city means so much to me.

If you are in a place of “unknown” or, you are going through a really crappy time- I encourage you to run to the place of safety, and hang on to your hope. Don't lose heart in the times of "unanswered prayer"... sometimes God can't give us what we are longing for, until we realize that it's what we need or truly want. The Lord hears us, and sooner or later, He will pay back two blessings for each of your troubles… I know He will, because He did it for us when He sent us to Saskatoon.