As silly as it may sound, the moment captured above is of an experience that has always been on my bucket list, but under the category of “things least likely to happen.” It was listed right after “find the love of my life,” which seemed even more unlikely. Yet both are happily checked off that “least likely” section of my list.

I love many things about about that photo, aside from the fact that I’m HUGGING A SLOTH!! It personifies a great deal about how I see God at work in my life. I consistently see visual proof that there is nothing beyond the power of my Heavenly Father. I’ve seen Him do the impossible in my life a hundred times over. In some ways, the mere fact that I’m sitting here writing these words is miraculous.

I’ve spent much time in prayer over the last several months, seeking guidance on how to truly submit my life to the God I love. In the last four or five months, I’ve made more progress on that goal than ever before. I’ve started to see how it is possible to have peace, even when facing significant pain, both physical and emotional. I’m beginning to understand how to be in the world, but not of the world, and it is one of the hardest, yet most beautiful lessons I’ve ever faced.

“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭AMP

The beginning of my story has both hardship and beauty, just like everyone else I know. When I was three or four years old, my mother really got off into the weeds of an ugly, worldly path. She was lost in her own addictions, and that took she and I both down a road filled with violence and drugs. While that sounds quite dramatic, and admittedly it was, God still provided balance in my life. I have watched my daddy, with the support of his family, fight to give me what I need for as long as I remember. The circumstances I was caught in were well beyond his control, yet he never stopped doing whatever he could to make them better. That time period was as hard and painful for him as it was for me. Still, God brought us through, and I remain a daddy’s girl to this day…and thankful for the gifts my mother gave me, even in the throes of her own darkness.

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All along the tumultuous path I walked with my mother, the good Lord provided people who showed me love, kindness, and faith. In spite of circumstances, I have always been blessed with a heart that loves. I’ve never been quick to anger, nor have I been one to hold a grudge. This, I know, is a gift of the Spirit, and one I treasure more than all others. Every difficult step I’ve taken, every moment of fear and anxiety, every squeal of joy and shriek of laughter are being placed on the table for God to use as He sees fit. The life I am here to live isn’t about me, and it most certainly isn’t about what I can get from this life. It is purely about how I am able to endure the inevitable struggles, and how willing I am to put what I want aside and seek only that which stands up to the word of God. I want to know Him, not only as my Lord and Savior or my creator, but I want to know and love Him as my friend. The more I have come to know Him and to align my own will with His, the more blessed and peaceful my life has become. His will is full of tender mercies for all who surrender to Him. When we push to do things in our own way and by our own timetable, we encounter trouble and strife, as we are not going with the tides of God’s will, but swimming against the currents in our own directions.

“No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:13-15‬ ‭AMP‬‬