It was New Years Eve at 12 am. Steve and I held hands as we told God how thankful we were for our many, many blessings. We surrendered the coming year to Him and asked that above all, He would be glorified in our lives.
The Good Lord answered our prayer at 9 am on January 1, 2010.
Deryk, Steve's agent, woke Steve up New Year's day to deliver the good news that the Carolina Panthers wanted to sign him.
What can I say here? The past 4 months have been extremely trying. At the same time, they have been so sweet. I know it is a cliche, bit it is so true that we grow the most when we suffer the worst. God never left our side. He took care of us when we could not take care of ourselves. When we had the courage to listen, we heard His faint whisper in our ears telling us to trust Him, and that everything was going to be ok.
We knew that God did not promise Steve a future in the NFL. We knew that God didn't promise us an easy or comfortable life. But we also knew that in whatever way He had planned, God would protect us. We trusted that He would not let us fall. Were we perfect in this trusting? Far from it. Days would come when all I wanted to do was cry...and cry...and cry. I was angry. I was scared. I was sad. All we could do was to surrender each day to the Lord. We had no control. And thank Him for that!
In light of this post, I want to make one thing very clear. We have had to endure very little compared to many people. Sickness, death, poverty... these are things that deserve much more attention than a job. To have a roof over our heads and food on the table is such a blessing in itself. It is my constant prayer that we will live this truth each and every day.
So what now? Well, we have a saying in the Justice household: "One day at a time". We have a long road ahead of us. Just as nothing in life is guaranteed, it is even more true in the NFL. What we do know is that we want to be together when Hannah is born. Steve will start working out with the team in March, and might train at Wake before then. I have at least one more month of work here in Indy. Our house is on the market and we would not be sad if it sold soon :-). We pray that the Lord would work out all of the details in His perfect will and timing. For now, we will celebrate this great gift!
Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been praying for us since September 5th. Thank you for your unconditional love and support. We are so excited to embark on this journey with you by our side!
To close, I leave with the words of the apostle Peter. One day our lives will be over. It could be tomorrow...it could be today. While it is so easy to get caught up in our daily trials and triumphs, we must remember that nothing in this life matters compared to the "surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ, or Lord and Savior." Our suffering is in vain if He is not glorified through it.
Please let our story encourage you. God loves you. He is at your side every waking moment. He hears your prayers and answers them. If you have not found Him, seek Him with all of your heart. You WILL find Him. And when you find Him, you will really start living. You will be satisfied.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
1 Peter: 12-13, 19
To our Father in heaven, we give all glory and honor and praise!
Thank you Jesus.
May we suffer well.