All Things New

Last night our oldest son's team took first place in a well-known basketball tournament in Idaho. It was exciting, exhausting, and exhilarating all at once! My amazing husband has spent the last four years coaching these hard-working young men; not only coaching, but also being their advocate, youth pastor, counselor, father figure, and friend. The boys, along with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters have become like family to us. We have a pretty special thing going with this program and the people. But that is not why I'm blogging. 

The date last night was December 30, 2017. The nostalgia of the date hit me suddenly as we settled into our Honda Pilot headed down Interstate 84, Wendy's frosties in hand. On this exact date, seven years earlier, my husband and I's divorce was finalized.

We had been married six years (the number of man) when Satan decided to creep in on our marriage and family, ripping it apart from the inside out. His fiery darts penetrated through my husband's shield of faith as he tore off my belt of truth quickly and headed straight for souls of our two sons.

It was an ugly three years of separation, endless attorney's fees, arguing, and shared custody as we attempted to blindly trail blaze what our new companionless lives would look like. By this time we lived five hours apart. This meant our faultless children (ages 4 and 5) had to travel ten hours every other weekend as their hearts were torn between who they wanted to spend life with, Mommy or Daddy. The truth was their hearts were beating in sync with God's heart, they didn't want to have to choose. They wanted us all together living in harmony with Christ at the center of our home. What had we done? How had it come to this? How quickly Satan had blinded and deceived us.

The day our divorce was finalized we walked out of the courthouse with drooping shoulders and a somber demeanor. Nothing about the judge's gavel hitting his desk, declaring final by law what God never intended to be separated, made either of us breathe a sigh of relief. In fact it did the exact opposite. We were devastated. Walking down the courthouse steps, I turned to my now x-husband and said, "Well, I guess this is the end of the road. I am headed home to pick up the pieces of this mess for the rest of my life." I was too sad to even cry.  At a loss for words his eyes caught mine in a momentary glance. The moment was beyond awkward as I began to walk away. "Or we could go get something to eat and catch a movie before you go," he said. 

What? Was I hearing this correctly? "Seriously?" I uttered in confusion. 

"Sure! Why not? We don't have anything to lose, right?"

The day our divorce was final was the day we began dating. It's a unique story. It's a miraculous story. It's a story all our own. That story began seven years ago yesterday. The same day this championship basketball photo was taken. Seven years, God's perfect number. The number of completion.

In those seven years our Savior has made all things new. We were remarried on Valentine's Day of 2013 and have a completely new marriage. Nothing about our marriage now looks like our marriage then. Christ is at the center of our lives and home. Our children's prayers were answered. Not only have we been called into youth ministry together, but Jesus has allowed our entire family to be in the same place every day. The boys go to a local Christian school where my husband and I are both blessed to be teachers. If we want to see one another we just have to go down the hall and say hello. It's just one way God has made all things new for us.

And that is the point of tonight's blog; to give hope to people who may be going through a very tough season in which they can see no light and have no hope. Feelings are temporary. No matter how bad the situation, God is making all things new for you just like He did for us. It was a very dark time and uncertain season, but I'm able to look back with a seven-year perspective. By God's grace I've seen growth where there was once total devastation. I've seen the impossible become possible, exemplified. There is nothing special about us or our family. If He can work a miracle like this in our family, He can answer your prayers too.

Take a moment tonight, the last evening of 2017, to reflect on your life and where you were seven years ago. Has Jesus completed something over these seven years? Has He brought some situations in your life story full circle? Have you been given grace to see in hindsight how good He has been? Focus in on the big picture, His faithfulness. Sit back and marvel at how far things have come in the past seven years. 

Maybe your life is worse that it was seven years ago? Then what? All I can say is that in the valleys and mountain peaks of life's experiences, God is still good. If you know Him intimately you have hope at a much better future, an eternity with Him. If you love Jesus with all your heart, no matter how bad your story gets here, I can promise you that your same story will have a happy ending ultimately. To know Him is to truly live. To love Him is to experience life to its fullest. To obey him brings a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray your 2018 is filled with true life that is lived to its fullest in perfect peace. Until next year...