When God Stretches You: The Day My Husband Died

This month my co-hosts and I are focusing on Spiritual Wellness. Though it may seem to be a strange topic to some given what we typically talk about for Wellness Wednesdays, we decided we wanted to devote a month to this topic. Spiritual wellness truly is more vital than physical wellness. Our relationship with God is what determines our eternal destiny. This week, I want to talk about an event where God was able to stretch my faith.

Anjanette at Raising the Barrs and Elsie at Richly Rooted also have posts on the same this week. Be sure to stop by to read about their story.

In January 2005 my husband was killed in a car accident. It was one of two events in my life that has been a pivotal heart-breaking event that’s caused me to lean on God’s strength.

If you are a Christian, you will go through events where God stretches you. They won’t be the same for all of us, but we all go through these events in different periods of our lives. As much as they can hurt, I know they are vital for growing us into the people God wants us to be.

I’m glad that I had a good foundational understanding of God and how He works in and through these events in our life, otherwise I’m afraid I would have been lost in a sea of hopelessness and despair. I often wished I had been with Jason in the car accident. I didn’t want to face the days alone, and I didn’t want to raise our 7-month-old son by myself.

I knew God’s ways were not my ways. I knew in my heart, despite my grief, that God would work through this situation to mold me into the person He wanted me to be. I didn’t question God’s wisdom in this. It is only knowing God and hope He had given me—that he would indeed work through this event—that I made it through the despair.

I didn’t question God, but that doesn’t mean I did it all right. I didn’t seek God the way I should in times of loneliness. I distracted myself. But, despite this, God showed up, time and time again, to convict me and show me that He was there for me. He was the one that would fill my needs and He would not leave me alone. And of course, He did just as He promised.

I firmly believe that having a good understanding of the person and nature of God before going through these events helps to carry us through to the other side. If you’re a Christian you can rest in the comfort of these truths. Know that God is good, despite the bad things that happen. Know that God is in control in the chaos of the world. God loves us when we feel alone.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:26-28)

How has God stretched you? What are the Biblical truths that have carried you through the difficult times?