I contemplated writing a blog two books ago but lacked the courage and the interest in learning to do something I felt was beyond my ability. In my career, and even since then, I have used technology and the Internet moderately, but not to the extent that younger generations do. In some ways, this is a good thing because I am not reliant upon them nor tethered to their promptings to always react without sufficient thought.
Jesus, who holds believers through their traumas, prompts us to step out, take risks, and stand up for what matters most in His time and His manner. When the time is right, we must speak truthfully and respectfully by loving God first and then loving others as He loves us. Then we can fully live the life that God created us to live.
Every sentient person lives and dies with the choices they make. This is no less pertinent to our political or cultural choices than it is to our personal ones, especially regarding our spiritual souls. The world has always been adrift in controversial matters, and this is especially true in our day. Every day the world’s template shifts and readjusts like an ever-moving earthquake.
On Tuesday evening (October 14, 2025) after a full and blessed Thanksgiving weekend, I went to bed believing that another Liberal government would lead our province. As I was leaving early the next morning, I learned that the predictions of the night before had flipped, resulting in a Progressive Conservative provincial government. A mock election conducted in our schools had also predicted a PC majority government. Both Liberal and Progressive Conservative party leaders met the results with diplomacy and poise. Respect for those who disagree is essential in a civilized society. Robust debates do not mean hatred for opposers. In our small province, the tide had turned to the surprise of most and the delight of many. These surprises for humanity are no surprise to God. God chooses, or allows to be in power, those whom He knows are right for the day. Winners may not know Him or follow Him but there is historical purpose for their winning the leadership over others. Time may or may not reveal the purpose for political outcomes. Constituents must vote in good conscience, and hopefully with understanding of the situation, for those that they feel are the best to lead the government. Christians must pray diligently and leave the outcomes to God.
Forty-one years ago today, I was a seventeen-year-old pregnant bride who married the love of her life and planned to complete her university degree and support her nineteen-year-old husband to complete his. When he was thirty-three, however, and I just thirty-one, he succumbed to a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leaving me to provide and care for our two children, thirteen and seven. For five years I was angry at God. I cried myself to sleep most nights reading the Psalms. Again, none of this surprised God. For over a decade, I was a single parent before meeting my second husband, who also greatly impacted the course of my life. There would not have been a second marriage if my first husband had not died. But he did. God knew what would happen. He knew the challenges and choices I would face and how I would react to them. He had plans for growing me through my trials and tribulations. I had to choose wisely, choose God and His Word, to grow closer to Him and not further away. In other words, I had to live first for God before living for my children and me.
I would not be doing prison ministry or writing about faith and the Bible were it not for God’s direction and guidance impacting the choices that I made with the challenges presented to me. I have realized this for decades, but it has taken a long time to have the courage to write about it. Making choices that please God can mean great hardship, but God is honored by them.
