While the post below was written almost two months ago, it is finally the right time to share it as a life update! Thank you all for continuing to be a member of this community and for your encouragement every step of the way!
A familiar page is turning and a new wind is ushering in a fresh season full of expectancy, trust in the Lord, and excitement.
Houston and I have been married for seven months now and have matured and been refined more than we saw coming when we stood at the altar.
We have walked through a constrained season with my job, endured hard work hours, and challenging individuals. I have persevered through trials and stayed the course of my job even when it was most difficult.
In the months Houston and I have been husband and wife, we have learned to maintain balance more in dying to self, making time for one another, and still devoting ourselves to hobbies God has gifted us with. We have strived to be fair in spending time with both our families and juggling holiday plans. It has been a busy year for both of our families with many engagements, weddings, graduations, and even pregnancies.
Our sweet home is tucked away in a coastal and historic sub division town. We have various kinds of neighbors but treasure our slice of land that we cultivate and keep making more of a home. Our weekends have consisted of many home projects. Due to our home having lots of previous renters who did not deeply care for the property, we have been cleaning up the yard constantly. We have taken trailer loads off of limbs, bushes, and trees that were way overgrown. We have killed weeds, raked pine straw (over 15 ginormous bags + more in just one day), and bought flowers. We have painted our porch and made it a space we can enjoy and use to host others.
Our yard has been a reflection, also, of my own heart.
I have submitted myself to the Lord since I was young and walked with the Lord daily since I was in middle school. Yet, the past few years of college, serving in ministry, moving back and forth to Virginia, dating long distance, getting engaged, and planning a wedding with many hurdles have all allowed some weeds and even roots to sprout in the soil of my soul. It is hard to admit, yet honesty allows this truth to peak out. I have been worn down and walking through a season not using my calling and gifting as much as I would like. I did not understand why God led me to a vocation that was far from my major and passion of doing ministry full time. I dreamed of getting to study His Word with my time but also felt distant at times from Him and lacked desire for the Bible.
Being in a position that required long shifts daily into the night, I was more irritable at times when speaking to Houston and found myself lacking grace more times than I would like to count.
Our first chunk of marriage has been beautiful, glorious, and hard. We have learned to take on the world, bills, schedules, desires, goals, and plans hand in hand.
We have been surrounded by weekly community of our Bible study group which consists of individuals and couples of various ages.
It has seemed like toiling has been the theme of this last chapter. Some definitions of the word toil are “to work hard and continuously” and “to advance or move with painful effort or difficulty.”
Like our flower beds now and backyard, my heart feels like it has been transformed through all of the pruning and cutting. It has been a process to see more of a change and update. It was messy for awhile, but now things are shaped up more-although gardening is a constant process that never stops until I am with my Gardener.
The soil of our lives is revived and we are ready for something new. God Himself has orchestrated a season ahead of us that is full of flowers and fruit. We have the opportunity to be in full time ministry. I will be the children and youth director at a sweet church near the home I grew up in! I will get to invest my days wholeheartedly ministering to the next generation.
I have been reading in the Old Testament in Judges recently and was caught by Judges 2:10 (NIV). It says, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” I was saddened to read this verse. One generation who knew God and witnessed His miracles passed away, and their children grew up without knowing the Lord or His testaments of faithfulness.
My prayer is to be in the middle of generations of God’s people, to bridge and connect the testimonies of old to revivals within the house of God now. I pray my ministry (God’s ministry through me) will have the end result of the next generation knowing God for themselves and advancing His Kingdom as they evangelize and make disciples. Generations connected to God and one another without stopping the sharing of Good News is my goal.
As Houston and I step into this new season, we value your prayers. Houston will continue to daily advance in his roles within commercial and residential contracting, carpentry, and real estate. He is also my teammate in ministry and life. God is going to use Him to disciple men of God to keep impacting future generations.
We are excited for the possibilities this new season has for our family to have room to breathe more and dream again.
God has answered our main prayer and goal for 2024 of being able to do youth ministry together. The year started with us getting to speak to a youth group together and now we have been entrusted to grow relationships with more young people and shepherd their souls. I could not be more grateful.
If you are in a dark season of pruning and not understanding WHY God has you there, I cannot explain the reasonings of God or understand His mind. I still cannot wrap my head around some of the hardships I had in the last chapter of life. What I can extend to you is hope that God does see you and is not going to leave you here in the hard. In fact, He is working within the realm of now and is with you even though He may feel so far away. You may not like the season you are in. It may be void of all of the pieces coming together for the life you dreamed of. It may contain sleepless nights and tears when no one else is looking. You are not hopeless because you are HELD, cared for, and comforted by the Lord. He WILL see you through this chapter and open up the pages of the next story.
We often try to avoid pain, yet it is necessary to be perfected more into the image of our Lord.
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV) admonishes us, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
I am thanking God for bringing us to Himself no matter where we are in waiting patiently.
Much love,
Haley
Undeniably His 