[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s hard for me to think back to a time without masks, social distancing and all things COVID-19. For most of us, we’ve been navigating through this last year of confusion trying to make sense of it all. The truth is, this time last year I was not at all prepared for the year ahead. I found myself in a mundane routine when I settled on a full time job aside from my dream of living out the life as a photographer.

For some reason in November of 2019 when I graduated college, I felt a sense of panic about pursuing my dream. Too many what if’s, too much risk, it’ll never work out the way I want. Those words sent me into a spiral and I began praying for The Lord to lead me into the right path. Not even a month later, I got a call for a job offer. I thought then-Wow! This must be it, I could still run my business on the side and definitely manage a full time job. After all I had built my business from the ground up while I was a full time college student. It would be the same, right? Wrong.

Although I will be forever grateful for that job offer and the stability it allowed me to have during the height of a worldwide pandemic. I knew it my heart it was truly only a temporary answer to a prayer I’d been praying since middle school.

I was that kid who got those crazy job matches on the personality tests, like dancer and singer! While I do love to dance and sing, I wanted something practical that wouldn’t take me out of my home state and that would give me some sense of purpose. Then after realizing how much I loved photography my senior year of high school, I decided to make it official in 2016. It paid my way through college and gave me such fulfillment. So why did I think I couldn’t “make it”?! I don’t really know. I think I just allowed fear to control my thoughts instead of having faith.

I know that The Lord used this past year to teach me many lessons, and I think the most important one is that I can absolutely, 100% trust my God. He is the stability through fear, chaos, and loss. He is our peace and refuge in times of trouble. And most importantly He is so faithful to answer our prayers.

Over the last year I can truly say I am nothing but grateful. I am so grateful for this job running my own business. No longer living in fear. I’m thankful for The Lord’s perfect timing. I love my husband and am so grateful for a life together with him. I am grateful for our sweet little home and family who we get to spend so much time with. I feel like over the last year I’ve learned even more how precious life and the little moments really mean.

Thank you Lord, for giving us so much even through such a difficult season. I think this prayer from our devotion sums up how I feel today:

“Lord, You have done great things for us and we thank you for blessing us far more than we deserve.”

xoxo,
Zoe