Trusting God Through Hardship: My Testimony of Losing Work and Finding Purpose
- meetgodattheedgeof
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
Today's testimony is brought to you by our Heavenly Father.
Since I was about 14 or 15, I've been a working man. At that age my brother and I started a lawn care business. We got to the point where we had accounts all over town and thankfully my parents let us use their lawn equipment to get started. After a while we purchased our own equipment and I was driving.
We got those accounts because we actually did a good job. It was hard work and we weren't afraid of any job. We planted trees, planted flowers, tore out lawns and installed lawns, installed sprinkler systems, and trimmed big trees. Truthfully, we didn't really know there was a proper way to trim a tree back then, but people kept asking so we kept doing it.
After a couple years we both decided we didn't want to do this forever (not sure why), and we both got "real" jobs. That is when I got my start in automotive by working at a local parts store and from that point I was hooked.
I was always interested in cars after helping my dad do minor repairs and maintenance. My mom will tell stories about my interest in how things worked from an early age. Once my dad showed me how to use a screwdriver, nothing was safe. The VCR, electric drill, broken appliances—everything was taken apart and every component thoroughly inspected. The most important thing my dad showed me was that putting things back together properly was just as important.
Once that skill developed, I was doomed to be a mechanic. I say that now, but back then I absolutely loved it.
I loved modified cars, hot rods, and the feeling a loud engine gave. So I kept going and my parents encouraged me to go all in. From there I worked at a few dealerships and my passion for cars grew and grew.
Every car I owned eventually made it to the drag strip and it was always pedal to the metal.
My friends and I went almost every Friday. As the cars got faster and faster, I started thinking maybe I wanted to go to school for this and race professionally. It never happened, but I still have that desire to race.
Here I am 27 years later. Dang, that is a weird feeling saying that. I feel old.
Now I am not working.
My hands ache like they are missing something. When your body has done something for almost 30 years, it develops muscle memory of holding a wrench.
That is one of the biggest hardships I face daily.
I have the urge to work, but my body is not what it once was. The sickness has taken a toll on my lungs and my heart, and it is a daily fight against depression. This sickness was brought on by something outside of my control—not a poor decision, not a lifelong bad habit—so naturally there are moments where I feel robbed.
The road to recovery is long, but I have no other choice.
As I sit here, I am blessed with the thought of all the support and love I've received from my brothers. Long talks of encouragement, physical help, and financial help keep me grounded in truth.
The truth is this: I am loved by God and there is a purpose to this, even when it is hard to imagine sometimes.
Right now I am a stay-at-home dad and husband. Through trusting God through hardship, I have been blessed to be part of things I normally would never have seen.
My kids' schooling.
Helping my wife if she needs something at 10 AM.
Being present.
There are many amazing things I have now because of this hardship and because of that, I am thankful for it.
I know this is by design and I see a difference in my kids.
We have devotion time together every morning.
My wife and I read the Bible across from each other.
We pray together.
We work together.
We celebrate together.
So despite my desire to work, and despite how difficult trusting God through hardship can sometimes feel, I am being blessed with something far more lasting and important than a brake job.
What a life we have serving the God of the universe.
Thank you, Father, for one more day.
Amen.
