Growing up, I had definite ideas about what my life as an adult would look like. And as good as it’s been, it has not been the fairy tale experience I imagined.
Our marriage had rough patches, finances were sometimes stretched to breaking, and our kids didn’t always made the choices we wished they had. But through it all, God has been faithful.
That phrase isn’t just words. It’s been the difference between tragedy and treasure.
When our son enlisted in the military right out of high school, my hopes, dreams and expectations for his life came crashing down. Instead of learning how to navigate his new college life, I had to come to terms with the fact that he’d be learning how to drive a Humvee and field strip a rifle.
As scared as I was about what he might face as a Marine, I couldn’t help but see God’s hand in his young life. There were the friends who stuck by him, always making sure he had letters and cards from home. The girlfriend who stayed true and who has become a wonderful wife and the daughter I never had. Every imperfect part of his life turned into something precious when it was sifted through God’s loving fingers.
The fact that he didn’t go straight to college has given him an appreciation of the degree he earned through his GI Bill. Yes, it’s been difficult at times, and far from perfect. But we have more and more reasons to celebrate as we look back and see how God has always been at work.
