Stories of Finding God in the Unexpected

Erica Baldwin discovered the depths of God’s goodness when, at the age of 33, she was diagnosed with an incurable, life-threatening genetic connective tissue disorder. She gradually traded in her faith in the good life for trust in a good God.

“God has used this diagnosis to replace my fragile faith with firm hope. What was once circumstance-based trust is now confidence in God’s character and in His ways. Though tomorrow is not a guarantee for any of us, VEDS has made me acutely aware of my mortality – but I do not fear the future.”

Continue reading Erica’s story.

Trauma changes us, but it doesn’t have to define us.

“I’ve come to realize my anxiety doesn’t define me, nor does my anxiety medication.”

“We are not just souls or hearts, but also brains and bodies—and as He cares for us, ought we not to care for them as well?”

Continue reading Meghan’s story.

Before, my life abounded with adventure and unique experiences. One day changed everything. November 12, 2004, started out as a normal day. Up before dawn, I made breakfast and headed to a teacher in-service training. Unbeknownst to me, those would be the last pain-free hours I would ever have. A mass radiation accident burned my eyes, face, neck, and hands creating a before and after fulcrum in my life.

After the accident, my once active life looks radically different. I live with unceasing and worsening pain, extreme light sensitivity, and decreasing vision. The burns keep my body confined within the walls of my home 95 percent of the time.

While walls may contain my body, over time, I realized walls don’t limit or contain my prayers.

Jodie seriously questioned how “life to the full” could be true for her 13-year-old son with a worsening intellectual disability. As she wrestled with the unfairness of Daniel’s situation, she asked God for future courage and comfort amid the unknown path.

God heard her prayer and Jodie felt His comfort in the difficult days that followed as Daniel underwent three brain surgeries that led to a brain cancer diagnosis.

Surprisingly, it was through Daniel’s roller coaster of a cancer journey that he has shown Jodie what Jesus’ life to the full really looks like.

Read more of Jodie and Daniel’s story.

When Sam was sixteen, her life changed in unexpected ways and began a journey that led her through some of the hardest moments of her life. As Sam walked through dark days and waited for the answers to come, she encountered God’s amazing grace and provision.

Be encouraged as you read Sam’s 15+ year journey of how God carried her through uncertainty and despair.

Two months after we said “I do,” an MRI revealed the aggressive, rare tumor on my wife’s left calf was growing. Four months later, her mobility significantly suffered and our vows were rapidly put to the test. The “honeymoon” phase of marriage was replaced with a steep learning curve as we uncovered what it truly meant to love one another in sickness and in health.

Learn how Caleb found abundance by recognizing that this was just as much his story as his wife’s.