2025 has been one of the biggest years of change in my life. It has been filled with lots of joy, laughter, and love, but also tears from frustrations, loneliness, and a lack of understanding. Ultimately, It's been a real-life practice test of trusting the Lord in every season, every emotion, and every minute of every day.
This year started with the Lord immediately responding to the prayer I have continually prayed since middle school, Isalah 6:8, the commissioning of the Prophet Isalah. It reads, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!". The Lord's response to this was one I had longed for, but on a timeline that frankly didn't match my own. In January, He simply said, "Okay, I'm sending you to Indy, to join the IDES team." He opened doors and paved the way, which ultimately felt like a two-by-four across my head the more I discussed it with trusted mentors and prayer warriors. While the change to take on this role, move, and simply follow in the way of the Lord has been full of incredible joys that are easy to relish, there have been portions that have meant sitting at the feet of Jesus for extended periods of time to accept and understand.
This big season of change has meant leaving family and many friends I am close to, a great church community, youth group students I was deeply invested in, great coworkers, bosses who were invested in me and my growth, a city that I love, and so many more little elements of comfort. In turn, I have gained a role working in missions where I can see the Father's goodness on display dally, coworkers who invest in me not just in a working manner but spiritually, a new church community that pushes me to grow deeper in my faith, countless new people to invest in and build community, and so much to discover. Some days, one of these elements hits more than the other. One day, there will be an overwhelming sense of loneliness while I miss being able to simply show up at friends' and family's homes on a whim. The next day can be filled with the blatant gratitude of seeing how good the Lord is as He connects me with new people and environments. It is a constant ebb and flow of good, hard, and at times a combination of the two.
This new season is filled with countless fluctuations of emotions, comforts, wins, and losses, but the one component that has been glaring is the fact that I must trust in the Lord. On the hard days, emotions are high, or my mind is speaking louder than the truth of scripture, I can trust that the Lord is not only overarchingly good, but He is present with me. I am reminded to trust in Him, not simply because He is the one I can turn to in a time of trouble, but because days that are filled with goodness and joy are the fruits produced directly from the loving hand of God.
We are blessed to be in communion with a God who chooses to have a relationship with us in every moment, every emotion, every season, an ever-present confidant who is the most equipped to provide for us in every thought and action. One scripture that has acted as both an encouragement and a conviction over the last few months has been Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." I pray that as you continue your journey with the Lord, this verse will elicit a yearning to trust in Him constantly and continuously. It will provide a reminder that joy, hope, and peace are drawn out of you when you trust in the Lord. Our tomorrow is never promised, our plan for life is not guaranteed. But the hope we have placed in the Risen Savior, producesthe joy of the Lord, and the peace of the Spirit when we trust in Him.