Friday, October 21, 2016

It's Fall, Y'all!

This is my favorite season of all--comfy sweaters, scarves, boots, hot apple cider, hiking, beautiful fall foliage, cool weather, crisp mornings with coffee, pumpkin everything, and I could go on. And this year, suddenly, it's autumn again, and I realize how much the year has simply flown by.

I have not written in months, mostly because I spent all of August and September preparing for a jury trial which I had about 3 weeks ago. And I tried that case by myself and got a verdict of well over a million dollars, so I am thrilled! Thrilled to have gotten such a good result, happy to have gotten the experience, and really happy to be in a firm that's letting me near a courtroom. Between the trial, a bunch of other cases, getting sworn into several federal courts, trying out CrossFit, a weekend at the beach, and more, the last two and a half months have been an absolute whirlwind.

Friends, these last five months, I have learned so, so much. I have learned that God can redeem anything, and that as this song says, there is nothing in my life that He cannot revive. All of 2015 and the first few months of this year was an incredibly difficult season of my life, and there were times I didn't think I was going to get through it or that things were ever going to get better or were ever going to just change. But I'm here to tell you that they did, because no matter how bad things seem, God is STILL a God of restoration. He is STILL working for His glory and for our good. No matter--no matter--how bad things are. No matter if we are in a season of deep depression caused by dark and painful circumstances in our lives. No matter how desperately and how much we have prayed, yet seen our prayers not be answered. God has brought such tremendous revival and restoration from that terribly dark season of my life, and honestly, it brings me to tears. Those wonderful, healing, I-have-no-words-for-how-good-God-is tears.

I've learned that God can fulfill our deep needs in ways we might never expect. Miracles don't always seem that way when we first see them. No matter how long we have been in the valley, God can and will still lead us out. Really, that's about all I have for you tonight. This is my testimony. This is what God has done. And He is to be praised.

Let me leave you with this song. If you're like me, you'll be listening to it every single day. I listened to this song at 4 a.m. in my hotel room during the week I was in trial! Let it remind you that Jesus is unfailing.