I first came to know Christ during my teenage years. Before that, I spent many years living solely for myself, my desires, and my pleasures. This self-centered behavior and rebellion led to a lot of trouble and sadness, even though my goal was to be happy and have as much fun as possible. I eventually realized that I didn’t have any trustworthy or dependable friends and that I was making reckless and foolish decisions.

In a moment of great crisis, Christ called me to Himself and led me out of that life. It was one of those miraculous conversion stories you hear about, where someone is pulled out of the gutter and instantly transformed by the power and grace of God. I’ve experienced God’s supernatural power to stop addiction instantly, to change my mind from desiring harmful and hurtful things to only wanting the good and pure things that come from Him. I’m so blessed to hold that testimony as mine, even though I was just ‘along for the ride,’ so to speak. God is the designer of that testimony; I just wear it, fully aware that without it, I’d be bare and uncovered. He’s the one who gave me the faith to believe in Him; I didn’t muster it up from nothing. He called me to Him, and I, like a man drowning in the ocean, simply reached for the life-preserver.

Since my salvation day, I’ve been incredibly blessed. I can’t look back without feeling totally unworthy of His gift of life. I often wonder why, out of all the people lost in this world—millions who are blind to Christ and His saving grace—I was chosen and called to be a child of God. I’m blessed beyond measure.

God works major miracles in seemingly hopeless situations. My mom, when I was a rebellious teen, might have looked at me, thrown her hands up in the air, and did the only thing she knew to do—get on her knees and pray for my soul. I was the last person anyone thought Christ could reach. I had a heart of stone and a disdain for the Gospel. Thankfully, God doesn’t need anyone to be ‘ripe for the picking’ to reach out and pick us. He can breathe life into a dead, hard heart instantly, fill us with love, joy, and hope, and give us a purpose.

I’m so thankful for the calling Christ has on my life. I’m still not entirely sure what it will mean for the Kingdom, but I believe my life is meant to speak to the broken, the hard-hearted who have lost all hope. I can look into that heart, seeing myself, my journey, and my brokenness, and see just how God can mend a heart that’s shattered and torn up. I can see how someone with a disdain for Christ can be won over with one nudge from the Holy Spirit. I’m a living example of Christ’s heart for His children to be whole, healed, and hopeful.

Spring is upon us, bringing new life after a time of harsh coldness and death. I love spring now more than ever. It has come to signify so much more to me in my middle age than it did in my teens or young adulthood. The winters I’ve weathered have always been followed by the hope of spring and the new life it brings. The thaw of spring is like a hardened heart that has no hope of softening, but when touched by the warmth of Christ’s love and sacrifice, it melts instantly and springs to life.

God’s hand is on the hearts of those He calls His own, and we all can have seasons when our hearts are hard, broken, dried up, or sopping wet from grief. His mercies are new every morning, and a season of hope is there. Trusting in His Word, His promises, and the claim He has on our life during those seasons will spring up hope and joy in even the harshest of environments. Hope is alive in Christ, it’s alive in me, and I know it’s there for anyone who believes in Jesus.

God is still the God of miracles; my life and testimony are filled with God’s supernatural power working in and through me and my family. It can often seem that in times where there’s no way around, under, over, or through something, God comes and parts the sea to help us make the journey through.

I’ve come to understand that the way through may not always be a neat and tidy conclusion. Most likely, it’s just the beginning of hard, consistent, and intentional work. But rest assured, Christ is with you to guide you through the hurts, confusions, anger, and sadness—whatever it is you’re facing.

I’ve heard this saying before, and I really like it: “If God brings you to it, He’ll bring you through it.”

We can feel alone in the fight with no one around to lean on, but God is there, and we are made stronger in those moments we are weakest. He’s there with us, ready to work in and through us.

There’s a verse that has helped me through the hardest days I faced as a grown woman—a time when I had to lean fully on Christ and His healing balm just to make it through days that were hopeless and bleak. The verse sparked hope in me whenever I’d read it. That hope grew to increase my faith that no matter what outcome, I’d be taken care of by God.

Isaiah 43:19 in the ESV Bible reads like this: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

The Message Bible reads like this: “Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.”

God makes a way when there isn’t even a road. He’s making it for us to pass through. We can’t stay where we are, just because the road is hard and filled with struggle, and still get to see the new thing God has for us. We have to move out of that place toward Him.

If He brings us to it, He will bring us through it. <3