Two Years Later

Two years ago, everything changed in a moment. A stroke has a way of stopping time. One minute life feels normal… and the next, you realize how fragile life really is. Plans pause. Fear creeps in. The future suddenly feels uncertain. I remember the questions. I remember the weakness. I remember the prayers. But more than anything else…I remember the faithfulness of God.

Looking back now, two years later, I can honestly say what I could barely whisper back then: God carried us. Not just me. Us. My wife. My kids. Our church family. Every person who stood beside us in prayer, encouragement, meals, texts, tears, and support. There are moments in life where you discover whether verses you’ve preached and read are actually true. In suffering, Scripture stops being theory and becomes oxygen. I learned in a deeper way that God’s love is not fragile. His presence is not temporary. His faithfulness is not dependent on my strength.When I was weak, He was steady.

There were days I didn’t understand what God was doing. Days filled with exhaustion. Days where fear tried to speak louder than faith. But over and over again, the Lord reminded me: “I am still here.” Two years later, I’m still overwhelmed by the goodness of God. Not because life became perfect. Not because every question got answered. But because His hand never left us. He was faithful in the hospital rooms. Faithful in the recovery. Faithful in the anxiety. Faithful in the late-night prayers. Faithful in providing for our family. Faithful in carrying my wife. Faithful in strengthening our children. Faithful in leading our church through uncertainty.

And somehow, through all of it, He drew us closer to Himself. One of the beautiful things suffering does is strip away illusion. It reminds you what actually matters. Family matters. Faith matters. People matter. The presence of God matters. Not platforms. Not appearances. Not pretending to be strong. Just Jesus. I think about Psalm 34:18 often:“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (ESV) I can testify personally: He really is near. Not distant. Not absent. Not watching from afar. Near.

Some of you reading this are walking through your own hard season right now. Maybe it’s health. Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s uncertainty about the future. Can I encourage you with this: God is faithful even in the middle of what you don’t understand. Sometimes His faithfulness looks dramatic. Sometimes it looks quiet. Sometimes it’s healing. Sometimes it’s simply the strength to keep going another day. But He never leaves His people alone. Two years later, I don’t celebrate a stroke. I celebrate the sustaining grace of God through it. I celebrate His love for my family. I celebrate His mercy. I celebrate every prayer He answered — and even the ones He answered differently than I expected. I celebrate that God is still writing the story. And I celebrate this truth: What could have destroyed us became a testimony of His faithfulness.

To everyone who prayed for us, encouraged us, and walked beside us over these last two years — thank you. We have felt the love of Christ through His people in powerful ways. And to the Lord…Thank You for carrying us. Thank You for sustaining us. Thank You for loving us even in weakness. Thank You for being faithful every step of the way.“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” — Psalm 103:2