2019 has been so freaking hard.

Thus far, 2019 has been a series of challenges and victories. Anguish and defeat.

There has been a crazy amount of provision and Spiritual outpouring in our lives this year, but, with each breakthrough has come a new series of challenges and tests.

My wife and I are in the process of becoming foster parents. Getting to this point has been a truly joyful experience. We are incredibly excited to start our family, even though it is a little unorthodox.

We came to this conclusion through prayer and fasting. Listening and discerning. We feel confident that this is what God is calling us to do.

If you are familiar with the fostering process, it is one series of inefficiencies after another. Nothing about the process is logical, and God bless the folks working for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, but they are incredibly understaffed and underfunded. Each agent struggles to get through the caseload that they have, but sometimes they cannot get everything done as quickly as you might like.

Our process has been slowed down significantly, and that has caused MB and I quite a bit of heartache. I have almost 30 years of dad jokes that I’ve accumulated that I am ready to use, and I’m ready for that day to be here ASAP.

With each roadblock and heartache, though, we are learning to look at our lives through an eternal, God lens, versus through a worldly lens.

Jesus says in John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus doesn’t promise that His way is all hunky dory and star-spangled awesome while we are in this life. In fact, He promises the opposite. We are going to be challenged by the enemy. Whenever we have Spiritual breakthroughs, the enemy will be lurking in the shadows to try to bring us down.

Following Jesus is a race of endurance. It is not a sprint.

I’ll leave you with the words of David from Psalm 30:5: “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

If you are feeling defeated today, know that the one that brings us life has already overcome this world. I pray that you will know the peace and joy that it is to know Jesus.

I love each of you.

-Shea