Amber
I went through a painful, unwanted divorce. Even though I knew I could trust God with my future, I wondered what it might look like. Would I re-marry? Have children? Then I got an unexpected call to become the road manager for a popular contemporary Christian music band. I’ll never forget the first night of the tour. Standing backstage in a massive arena, watching thousands of people worship, I was awestruck at all God had done. I thought, “This is beauty for ashes.” And He’s continued to give beauty since.
SAY TO GOD: “HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME!”
I love to host people in my home. One night after I’d loaded the dishwasher and finally sat down, I realized how energized and fulfilled I felt. My insides were alive. I couldn’t identify exactly why – but soon two words bubbled up in me: “Meaning Making.” The evening had been about more than a good meal and lovely conversation. We made meaning around that table. I had created an environment where it could grow. This little two-word phrase has become a North Star for me. Gathering with a purpose and designing something truly meaningful.
SAY TO GOD: “MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE!”
My dad’s work was feast or famine throughout my childhood. Cars were often out of commission, and health insurance was off the table. As the oldest child, I often knew about financial troubles well above my pay grade. But through this, I experienced God as Provider. When I would feel particularly worried about whether there would be food on the table, or new clothes for school, my dad would pull me into his lap and explain the truth from Matthew 6. We didn’t need to worry because God would provide. And He always did.
SAY TO GOD: “GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD!”
There was a little girl in my daughter’s kindergarten class who was always getting into trouble. She was smart, funny, and rambunctious, but she regularly lashed out or melted down. I would always see her dad dropping her off in the morning, but it wasn’t until well into their first-grade year I realized she doesn’t have a mom at home – because she’s an addict. It’s true that we never know another person’s story, or why they’re difficult, but it’s given me so much compassion for her. Now I regularly pray that God will redeem her story.
SAY TO GOD: “DELIVER US FROM EVIL!”