“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…” (Joel 2:25a KJV)
I’ve clung to this promise from the book of Joel in God’s Word for years and years and years. I clung to it when I was a young girl, and my world came crashing down around me. I clung to it in my early thirties when another tragedy struck our family. And…I’ve been clinging to it since May 4, 2011…the day my husband was found in the woods after taking his own life the day before.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word never changes. His promises are true. But, if I’m being totally honest, I doubted that restoration would ever take place for me again. I felt that in losing my Chris, I also lost a huge piece of myself. How could I ever be restored when a piece of me was missing?
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
And yet…the promise continued to mimic me. Over and over, I would see those words in my mind, on paper, in devotions, and in conversations with friends. When asking God for a word that would be my “theme” for 2012 – a word that would dictate the work that He would be doing in my life – He gave me…RESTORATION.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
Back in late January, I began to see and feel glimpses of His restorative work taking place within me. Grief no longer seemed to overtake me. Yes, I still missed Chris. Yes, I still cried sometimes. But, it was no longer an all-consuming grief. This continued into February too. It was “sticking”. The miracle I had been praying for had arrived. I never asked God to take away my grief. I only asked Him to allow me to grieve so fully that when I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel that it would be so luminous, that there would be no doubting it was Him working in me.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
As God continued to restore me, He also continued to create new relationships for me. He allowed me to meet so many amazing new girlfriends through this tragic story that He’s asked me to share with the world, so to speak. Each of you has touched my heart in an precious way and has contributed to His restoration work within me.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
But a day came a couple months ago that I never expected to see again and honestly never thought I wanted. God introduced me to Joel. No…I’m not referring to the minor prophet of long ago from which the verse I’ve been quoting throughout this blog came from. I’m talking about a real man…named Joel. Yes – my own real Joel! Only God could orchestrate that.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
In short, I’m dating a man named Joel. God crossed our paths in only a way that He could do. I was looking for companionship, but God created something so much deeper. We tackled the “deal-breaker” questions almost from the very beginning when we realized this was heading into something more than just a friendship. At our ages, we didn’t want to risk more heartache and pain again in a relationship that would never work from the get-go. We intentionally went straight to the heart of those things most near and dear to us, and we both passed each other’s “test”. We continued to chat and get to know each other, and we found God doing something in each of us that simply couldn’t be explained in the realm of “normal”.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
When God restores…He restores fully and completely and usually differently than what we have planned. I expected to live life as a widow for a long, long time (if not forever), and I was content with that. I certainly didn’t mind having male friends, but I couldn’t fathom another broken heart. Not to mention, Chris hadn’t even been gone a year before I laid eyes on Joel for the first time.
This can’t be right Lord. What will people think? What will Chris’ family think? Will people still believe I’m called to women’s ministry – especially widows and single moms – if the day comes when my status changes to married?
Daughter, trust Me, and remember what I’ve told you…
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
I knew I had to trust Him. He’s carried me through so much pain and heartache in my 40 years, especially this last year. And so I did. As a result, a miracle ensued.
Joel and I fell in love rather quickly! Yes, I used the “L” word. Neither of us could believe how quickly it happened, but it did, and who were we to stop what God had obviously birthed?
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
From the very beginning, we’ve bathed our relationship in prayer. We’ve centered it on Christ Jesus and on God’s Word. We’ve allowed God to direct our steps no matter how “crazy” it may seem to the world. Some would think it not normal for a widow to fall in love with another man so quickly after losing one she loved so dearly, but God doesn’t work in what we call “normal”. God’s ways are not our ways. And, if you’ve learned anything about me by reading my blog posts – I pray you’ve learned that my goal is to be in the center of God’s will and to allow His plans to be my plans. It’s too painful any other way. As I submitted to this blossoming new love relationship between Joel and me, I knew God was bringing me to a new level of restoration.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
I haven’t shared about him on this website or any other social media format before now, because I wanted to be considerate of Chris’ family and talk with them first. They have given us their blessing and are so happy for us! I also wanted to share it with a couple other groups of people first – including my adoption agency consultant/friend. And to answer that question – YES, Joel is FULLY on board with adopting Holly! I’ll share more on that in a future post, but we’re full steam ahead in that area. And now I’m ready to share with the rest of you. I can’t help but introduce you to the man that has captured my heart, that loves me so fully, that is walking through this one-year anniversary of Chris’ death with me with such a sweet grace that it makes me love him all the more.
And now for some facts…
Joel is a divorced father of four: a daughter (22 – married with an 8-month-old daughter), a son in the Air Force (20), a son that’s 16, and another son (11). The youngest two live with their mom out of state. All four children have been homeschooled (and youngest two still are). He graduated from Liberty University. He works with cancer patients all day as a Radiation Therapist and has a heart for the Lord and a passion to serve Him that makes my heart burst with joy. He loves Anna, as if she were one of his own, and she is adjusting to this change in her life with simple grace and beauty. She never fully grieved Chris’ passing until Joel entered our lives. So, God has also done a restoration work in Anna too that has helped to heal her broken heart.
A few funny/interesting tidbits…we share the same wedding anniversary. YES – we were both married to our previous spouses on August 9th! How wild is that? And…he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on his right knee the week before I had surgery to repair my left knee meniscus tear. No – we weren’t together when the accidents happened. Ha! So, he knows my pain all too well in that department. We’ve been teased a lot when going out in public, both being on crutches. Most think we’ve been in a car accident, and you should see my funny guy play on the sympathy we get from strangers. He makes me laugh! A lot.
“And I will restore to you the years that the locusts hath eaten…”
Friends…there is so much more to share, but I’ve already written so much already. I’ll let this BIG news sink in before flooding you with more information.
I just ask for your prayers, as we continue walking this new path laid before us, especially for protection from the snares of the enemy.
And now…introducing my prince, Joel…
