The Boelts Family |
I first met Krista about 10 years ago. We had just moved to a new neighborhood in Ankeny and our son, Tyler, had been praying that he would meet a new friend. Not long after, he met Brandon Boelts. Brandon and his family lived directly behind us. They were an answer to prayer! We love Krista, Josh, Brandon, Nathan, and Lauren so much. We are still so thankful that of all the neighborhoods in Ankeny, we moved into theirs!
I'm so thrilled to introduce you to a dear friend, Krista Boelts, as she shares her heart. She is an awesome woman of God, wife, and mother to her children. It is an honor for me to have her write this post.
Letting Go... and Letting God
I’ve always enjoyed writing, but typically it’s in my journal that only my eyes see. When Kathy asked me to be a guest writer for her blog I was excited, then petrified and then utterly lost for what to write about. So many things I could share, but what? Do I have a theme so I don’t just ramble on and on? Well sitting here thinking about the journey that I have been on over the years, God reminded me there is a common theme in every trial I have faced…..letting go and letting God.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “you can’t play with fire without getting burned”. Well, that reality came ever so true the night Josh and I found out we were pregnant. Not married and only 18, the dream of getting engaged that summer quickly turned into a rush of planning our wedding in a mere 6 weeks. Only by God’s miracle were we able to book the wedding in my childhood church, find bridesmaid dresses in time and have a photographer for that Saturday….July 23rd….the only Saturday he still had available. I had to let go of so many little girl dreams – the romantic wonderful proposal, the year long planning of every perfect detail, trying on dress after dress until the perfect one was found, the limousine, the big dance hall reception full of candles and flowers, a honeymoon – and instead, let God handle the details. I think back to how many pieces of the puzzle had to fit together just perfectly for that day to be wonderful, and every single piece fit. Perfectly.
We soon became a little family, the 3 of us, and we settled into life pretty easily. But I didn’t realize how difficult it would be seeing all of my friends go back to college that fall to pursue their dreams. I had dreams too! I was a pre-med major and had my career all planned out. Yet here I was working to put Josh through college instead, helping him go after his dreams. I felt like my dreams had been forgotten, pushed to the back burner. Once again, I had to let go of MY plan and let God’s plan for me unfold. What I didn’t realize then, was God knew the mother’s heart He had placed within me. I thought a career in medicine was my dream. But He knew me better than I knew myself. Being a mom was my dream….and I didn’t even know it.
Soon our family grew to 4, then 5. We had purchased our first home, finally taken our long overdue honeymoon and were living life to the fullest. The only problem was we really couldn’t afford the life we were living. We never learned how to wisely steward our money and didn’t know what a budget was. We had way overextended ourselves to a point that seemed insurmountable. Our debt was a black hole with no glimmer of light or hope. We finally decided we needed to declare bankruptcy. It was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made and an experience so difficult, I never want to walk through it again. I’ll never forget walking through the house for the last time reliving the memories we had made there. The Christmas mornings, building a bunk bed for the boys so there would be room for their new sister, bringing home our youngest from the hospital to her sweet purple room, the family gatherings, the birthday celebrations. The pain was so deep, I didn’t think it would ever go away. But we let go. We let go of our pride and faced bad decisions we had made. We let go of that house that we had turned into a home, and found a more affordable one. Eventually we let go of the anger and frustration with ourselves and let God do His deep work within us. We let God pour His wisdom on us with how to steward and budget His money. Letting go isn’t always easy, but letting Him lead is always the answer.
Here we are 19 years later, and that little baby that made us a family is now off to college. Talk about letting go. Of all the things I’ve had to let go of so far, this is the hardest by far. Did we teach him everything he needs to know? Did we give him all the wisdom necessary to be successful in life? Honestly I don’t know. But we did raise him up to know, follow and love the Lord with all of his heart. That is the most important lesson of all. And now, we let God. We let God teach him, guide him and shower His wisdom on him. And with Him leading the way, I know my baby is going to be just fine.
Josh, Brandon, and Krista |
You
might not be facing an unplanned pregnancy or trying to adjust to your baby
going off to college. It might be a worrisome doctor’s visit, a new job or just
trying to make it through each day. The best advice I can give: let go and let
God. He’ll never steer you wrong.
Linking up to: homestoriesatoz.com impartinggrace.com
Linking up to: homestoriesatoz.com impartinggrace.com
This is such wonderful advice for any stage of life. Why is it so hard though? It's something I have to work on every day. Thank you for sharing your sweet story. Krista, you and your husband were meant to be. :)
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