After what has been a very chaotic year for just about everyone, our family decided to end 2020 the only way we knew how—by going on a road trip! I don’t know about you, but we feel road trips make everything better. They give us a change of scenery, they help us clear our minds, and they remind us that this is a very big world, and suddenly our problems don’t seem so massive. So Gabe and I decided to drive through seven states with our little ones. Many times we almost backed out of the plan. Probably about 20 times Gabe and I looked at each other thinking, This is crazy. We should not be doing this.

After much prayer, we took the leap and set off to see the Grand Canyon. The vastness and beauty of it all left us speechless. Even our children were amazed as they looked out at the majestic beauty in front of them.

Romans 8:18 says, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” This past year shook many of us mentally, emotionally and even spiritually. Our family had to begin asking ourselves what lessons the Lord was teaching us on our very bumpy journey through 2020, and the finish line was nowhere in sight. The church we planted had to be closed, our fundraising came to a halt, and like the rest of the world we just had to figure out this new way of living. But as I looked out over the Grand Canyon, I was reminded of God’s glory. I was reminded that through all the hills and valleys of our experience He is refining us. Although we may have suffered much this past year, it cannot compare to the glory we will one day experience when we meet our Heavenly Father. So let’s focus on the journey and what God is revealing to us now. Through every challenge He is preparing us to one day experience His glory.

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