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2021 was an incredible year for our family. We stepped out in faith and launched A Joyful Family, made amazing friendships, and impacted a lot of marriages and families. God connected us with an incredible church that supported our ministry and calling in ways we could never have imagined.

In some ways, 2021 was also an incredibly challenging year. Living by faith is no joke, and we have had to trust God like never before. Our family was hit hard with Covid,  and it took months for our family to recover fully. It seems like Satan has thrown everything at us along the way, and there were moments of discouragement and frustration.

The reality of our lives is that there is no "Get Out Of Jail Free" card for life's struggles. There was not a single person in the bible that did not experience hardship. Jesus himself said in John 16:33, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

We cannot escape hardship, but we do not have to be defeated by it. We can stand on scriptures like Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." There is no fine print to this scripture that provides a list of reasons why God won't do this. God can take Satan's worst attacks and turn them into an incredible testimony no matter what we face.

One key to understand is that we cannot put conditions on how God navigates us through our situations. Things may fall apart around us, and our prayers may not be answered the way we want them to. This does not mean that God has abandoned us. It just means that He is still working things out for our good - even if it takes rebuilding us from the ground up. 

If 2022 is half as crazy as 2021, we need to hold onto the promises of God like never before. We will face hardships, and things may seem as if they are crumbling around us. We have to remember that God is never overwhelmed by the storm. There is not a moment where Satan's attack can overpower the love and faithfulness of God.