Tristan
On March 8, 2018, my first child was born. In the operating room, the nurse held up my baby girl, and we locked eyes for the first time. My daughter was screaming at the top of her lungs. She was so tiny and vulnerable, yet so full of power and grace. It was an incomprehensible, overwhelming moment for me. That first look from her melted my heart and changed my life. I would never be the same thereafter.
SAY TO GOD: “HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME!”
During the summer of 2021, my wife and I felt called to launch a sports camp for people with disabilities in our hometown. Over 100 campers and 180 volunteers participated in the first day of camp. That day was the culmination of a divinely orchestrated process that brought together people and resources on a scale that I could have never imagined not only to benefit the participants, but also to provide my wife and I with a sense of being heard in the midst of our struggle to process our daughter’s diagnosis, which we had received in December of 2019.
SAY TO GOD: “MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE!”
During my second year of law school, my cousin shot and killed his mom and sister. I was struggling with mental health issues at the time, and this event was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It sent me careening downhill toward a deep, dark depression and suicidal thoughts. But in those moments, I found stillness. I found comfort. I found peace. And eventually I found a relationship with God that has given me purpose and transformed my life for the better.
SAY TO GOD: “GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD!”
I was sexually abused as a child, and I carried the emotional pain of this experience with me for many years. As I was preparing to have my first child in the spring of 2018, I began to think about what kind of parent I wanted to be, and those thoughts sparked anger within me related to the abuse of my childhood. The days that followed were dark days as I waded through a river of emotions. But through patience with myself and divine insight, I was able to forgive my trespassers and move forward into a healthier lifestyle.
”SAY TO GOD: “DELIVER US FROM EVIL!”