The summer after your freshman year of college should be a happy time. Being back home with your family, seeing friends that you've been away from all year, and going on vacations should be the only thing in your view for the next two months. It wasn't quite the same for me, though. When I got home, my whole world was turned upside down when my stepdad of 13 years told my family that he was leaving us, and his reason was because he found another family to love. Fast forward over a year to today, and we still have not spoken or seen each other. He completely took himself out of our lives.
Last summer was hard for me, but I honestly feel that it was harder for my family. I was able to busy myself by taking care of things around the house and by helping my family in any way I could. I held in my emotions the best I could, put on a brave face, and just tried to go on with my life. My true saving grace, though, was Jesus Christ. I have always been active in the church and in furthering my relationship with God, so with everything that was going on, I completely dove into life with Him.
Everything I had previously known about trust was gone, so I had to learn how to trust again and fully put that trust in The Lord. I knew, then, that I could only trust God to never leave me or hurt me. I found a new joy in worshipping and reading His word. I surrounded myself with faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who would be able to support and pray for me during that time and who would be a constant positive influence in my life. Prayer became my number one priority as there were times I didn't know who I could talk to about things other than God. He truly became my everything.
I could have easily let what happened to me and to my family be the last straw. I could have let that situation lead me down a dark path of depression and anger. But Jesus had a different plan for my life. He turned such darkness into a shining light that would forever change my life. Yes, there are still times that I am overwhelmed and cry out because I am upset and heartbroken about my stepdad leaving, but I know that my life is so much sweeter because my relationship with The Lord is greater than it has ever been before. Because of what I went through, I am now able to share this story of brokenness with others and show them that you don't have to let things break you. You can overcome them through God.
My story is constantly changing day-by-day, going up and down, through valleys and over mountain tops. Some day are harder than others, but the one thing that never changes is Christ's unwavering love for me and His constant presence. I know that I can always turn to Him, and He will forever be there for me. Even on the hardest days, we can be sure that God has a plan for us.
