Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with Courtney Joseph of Women Living Well and Good Morning Girls to record an interview for her Mentorship Course, The Strong Single Mom: How to Go From Surviving to Thriving.
You can check out the Mentor Course here:
https://womenlivingwell.org/category/my-mentorship-courses/
You can also see a clip of the interview here:
My journey of singleness began in 2012 when my husband called me into our bedroom and spoke two words to me that seemed to instantly cancel out the two he’d spoken to me 17 years earlier at the altar. He simply said, “I’m done.” And he was.
In an instant, my world turned upside down. I was a homeschooling, stay at home mom with two children, 8 and 10 years old. I had no job, no money and no idea how I was going to keep this all going. However, God became a husband to the husbandless and walked me through that journey hand in hand. In fact, my favorite verse is Isaiah 41:10.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
I remember well squeezing my hand so tight as I imagined Him holding it in that courtroom during those divorce procedures and countless times thereafter.
Early on, the best piece of advice for me was from a friend who told me to, “Read Psalms.” I like to say that I fell in love with Jesus when my husband fell out of love with me. “
I read them, wrote them, recited them and slept with them under my head like a pillow at times! The Jesus who was already my Savior became my very best friend!
Not only was I able to continue to homeschool, but both children are now in college. They are bright, well rounded successful adults now. That is all because of God’s amazing grace. You CAN do it, Mom! You are a strong women, single or not. And when you feel week, remember He is your strength and help in times of trouble.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1
I wrote an article a few years back from Christian Living in the Mature Years and I will post it below for you to read.
He didn’t come back. I sat on my front porch as those words chanted through my mind. My broken heart beat out the accompanying rhythm. “He didn’t come back. He didn’t come back,” I whispered to myself. The sway of the swing slowed as a new song began to emerge, with a one word lyric. “Why?”
My front porch served as my prayer closet. It was the place where I would daily bring my Bible and journal and spend time in prayer. It was hard to look out at the sturdy hardwoods, frolicking squirrels and occasional meandering deer and not feel close to the Creator.
On this day, my Bible was closed and my pen capped as I reeled in the reality of what was taking place five hundred miles away on Saint Simons Island’s beach. For seven and a half years, after an unwanted divorce, I had prayed with fervency, fasted with urgency, and waited with expectancy, only to now be sitting here on his wedding day, to someone else.
It is hard to understand why God doesn’t move the mountains in our lives, especially when we’re sure what we’re asking for is good. When a child doesn’t return, prince charming never shows up, the promotion hasn’t come, the diagnosis isn’t good, or a dear loved one passes, we begin to hear the tribal beat of that one word chorus firing up.
“Why?”
I spent some time in prayer that day on my porch. I asked God that question, directly. I was surprised by the answer He gave, which was, “I’m always good. Trust Me.” Over the weeks and months that followed, God would confirm that point over and over.
We live in a fallen world where hard things happen and suffering takes place. The beautiful thing is that God will hold our hands as we gaze up at whatever mountains we face, even if it’s just to guide us around that fixed object that isn’t going anywhere. Rest assured, you’ll be able to look back at it like a memorial stone. The apex of that mountain will be like an arrow, pointing straight to and glorifying God.
Tony Evans, a pastor and evangelist, along with his wife gave an interview shortly after they received her cancer diagnosis. They spoke of peace and great faith that God would bring healing. Seven months later, he buried her.
Katherine Wolf and her husband, Jay, faced the unthinkable when she had a stroke at the age of 26. It left her paralyzed on one side of her body and wheelchair bound.
Bart Millard, lead singer of the Christian band, Mercy Me, prayed for his son, who was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was only two years old, to be healed. He still suffers from the disease today.
Jesus, in the Garden, prayed that the cup would pass from Him. He died a torturous death on the cross.
Why does God not move some really good mountains, especially when we have crossed all the religious t’s and dotted all the i’s. After fasting and praying and having faith way bigger than the mustard seed variety, why do we still have mountains that won’t budge?
The answer is simple. We don’t know. We may never know. But, here’s what we can be sure of.
- God is always good.
- We can trust God.
- Even when we can’t know why, we can know that there are reasons bigger than what we can see.
Dr. Tony Evans will go on to comfort people all around the world in dealing with grief. Katherine and Jay Wolf have already written two books and spoken to countless audiences including the Passion Conference event attended by 40,000 college students in 2019. Bart Millard has written a song entitled, Even If. The lyrics include the line,”God, when You choose to leave mountains unmovable, Oh give me the strength to be able to sing, It is well with my soul.” Jesus’ crucifixion redeemed people from their sins, for all time.
“Many plans are in a person’s mind, but the Lord’s purpose will succeed.” Proverbs 19:21, CEB
As we move around the mountain that didn’t move, hand in hand with God who is guiding us past, may we learn to be thankful for all things – even this – for our ultimate good and God’s glory. May this new song emerge in our minds until we finally hear the chorus of Heaven, It is well with my soul.