Trust & Obey

I turned 23 years old today. As I have spent today looking back, I notice how much has changed since I turned 22 last year and the fingerprint I see the most is God’s faithfulness to me in a turbulent year.

September 26, 2024, was truly not super exciting. It was a wonderful day, but I did not know what I was doing with my life. I graduated college May of that year and hadn’t done much with my life beyond start a job in customer service at my town’s park district and start a cleaning job at my church. I felt like my life was going straight to nowhere and part of me wondered if I need to do something extreme to get myself on a trajectory to somewhere!

A week later, I stepped out and began to teach a women’s Bible study once a week covering about twenty women of the Bible. I had my teaching notes in hand as I entered into the cozy home where the study was being held, feeling tingly with nerves. As I surveyed the room, I realized I was nearly a decade (at least) younger than the youngest women in that room. How could I teach them about God’s Word who had experienced so much more than me? It was only through God’s faithfulness that I could come up with new material each week and teach it with confidence and humility. He got me through it and I had so much fun!

During that time, I was wondering what was happening with me and my boyfriend, Matthew. Were we getting married? How soon? We were long distance dating after college and had a five hour car trip between us. We hated video calling and texting all the time–we just wanted to be together. This whole thing couldn’t last forever!

December 31, 2024, Matt popped the question and we got engaged at 7:13 p.m. in our college town next to the big downtown Christmas tree. It was perfect, it was everything I had ever dreamed of, and I felt so loved. We got to ring in the new year as an engaged couple and I knew 2025 would be a fantastic year!

We originally planned to get married January 2026, but we quickly realized there was no way we could do long distance that long, so we decided within a week we would get married August 2, 2025. It was bold and we had no idea where we would be at that point but we knew that we needed to get married and that God would provide along the way (hopefully).

Two weeks later, we found my wedding dress on the clearance rack at David’s bridal, originally $1700 but now priced at $500. It was a steal and it was gorgeous! It had a lacey train that trailed behind me and the lace traveled up the whole gown topped with a sweetheart neckline. When we went to check out, the staff member gasped at the computer and asked her supervisor to check the screen. The supervisor nodded and then said, “Well, we don’t know how this happened, but this dress is actually $300. Congratulations!” My mom, my Oma, and I could not believe it. God had picked out my dress and it was incredibly but stunning.

So many other instances like that were occuring during the wedding process. I prayed about what I wanted and God would provide what I needed! Our budget was modest, but God kept on stretching it! However, we had no idea where we would live. Matt had a good job lined up when we got engaged but it totally fell through. We were so disappointed and had no idea what to do next. Half my prayers were praising God for all He has done for our wedding and the other half were pleas for Matt to find a full time job somewhere. We had another four months, so I knew we would be fine (hopefully).

July rolls around and nothing has panned out. We don’t know where we are living. We have hardly heard from any employer and the one that looked like it would work, dropped the ball. It was so difficult to get excited about a wedding when our future looked hazy afterwards. Why was the wedding so perfectly coming together, but the job search was a mess? I didn’t know what to think, I just kept praying.

One week before the wedding, Matt got a full time job. Matt called me Friday, so excited to shared that he got a job and he would start the day after we got back from our honeymoon! Where would we live? Thursday, July 31, Matt got a call from the apartment complex we put in our application for and they offered to take us on a tour of an apartment they had available the Tuesday we got back from our trip. He said “Yes!” to the tour and just like that, Matt had a job and we had a place to live in the works. God prevailed and we could get married celebrating not just our union but all He had done.

August 2 was a blessed day. The sun was shining, it was a perfect 74 degrees, and there was a light breeze to keep you cool. August in Illinois is easily 90 degrees and I was prepared for it, but instead, God blessed us with divine weather. I genuinely believe it was His wedding gift to us. We were surrounded by the people that love us most and the day was as near to perfection as anything could be.

The whole week was filled with blessings upon blessings. One of the most meaningful blessings was my sister taking me to get my nails done the day before my wedding. I had spent so much money, I didn’t have the budget for it and planned to just paint my nails. Liv wouldn’t have it, so she paid for me to get a stunning pearlescent manicure. It blessed me on my wedding day and on every day of my honeymoon.

When we returned home from our magical honeymoon, Matt and I hit the ground running. I was working on everything to get us into an apartment and Matt was doing everything for his new job. It was so chaotic and I was nervous we would have to live with my parents longer than a week. Why did I doubt? After all God had done for us with our wedding, why wouldn’t He take care of us with this? Well, we toured the apartment Tuesday; it was clean, spacious, and perfectly in our budget, and when asked when we wanted to move in, I said: “This weekend. Is that possible?” They said that was perfect for them!

The night before we were set to move in, I realized we had basically no furnitiure. I hadn’t looked into any because we didn’t know where we would be living! All our wedding presents were sitting in my parents’ basement, and I didn’t think I should add furniture too. So, we had lawn chairs and my mattress. That night, I prayed, God, I want our house to feel like a home. Where are we going to get furniture for it?

Friday morning I went to clean the church when the church secretary–who was also my wedding planner and is an amazing interior designer–pulled me aside to tell me about an estate sale. “There is a couch over there and it was only $75 yesterday, but today everything is half off, so it would be $34.50. It would be worth going to check it out!” I was hesitant, because it was a 30 minute drive, but Dad appeared (he’s the pastor) and said: “I brought the van! I say let’s go check it out!”

“Right now?” I was trying to make up an excuse not to go, because I figured it was a waste.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Dad lead the charge and we three go in the van to go to the estate sale.

I left this estate sale with four lamps, a couch, a chair, art pieces, some little knick knacks, and an end table only for a little over $200. I couldn’t believe it. Just like that, Matt and my apartment was almost totally furnished. God heard my prayer and provided me with instant furniture and at such a discount, it was miraculous.

In just one year alone, I have seen God show up for me again and again. He has taken care of my every need and even my extras! I am now sitting in a beautifully decorated apartment, glancing over at a gorgeous wedding picture, waiting for my husband to get home so we can celebrate my birthday with my family. God has been so incredibly faithful. He has moved mountains for me and made money appear where it shouldn’t have. Not only have I seen His faithfulness, but I have also seen His love for me. Only a God who loves me would do all of this for me. So, why would I not want to be faithful too? My goal for this year of my life is to “trust and obey” Him at all times. I want to be a good disciple who is always ready to follow. Who wouldn’t want to follow someone who always has your back and comes to the rescue every time?