A NOTE FROM CORTNEY KERN
A few weeks ago, I woke up to a morning text and was immediately flooded with sadness and heartbreak. My adult kid, who lives 2.5 hours from me, needed me and I couldn’t get there until mid-afternoon. That morning I had a work meeting, and we had a chance to talk to a co-worker about how we were doing, and I was able to express to my friend what my stepdaughter was going through. At that moment, we prayed and also celebrated God’s plan and how, in some ways, it has come full circle.
Some may remember a year ago, my stepdaughter and I went through a trying time, where we needed to pause, reflect, and have space to grow in our relationship and as individuals. Back then I wouldn’t have thought that our relationship would be as strong as it is today, or known what kind of role we would play in helping each other grow. In that season, I couldn’t see God’s plan, all I could keep thinking was "How is this happening?".
Those feelings of sadness, hurt, anger, and guilt were not for nothing. God used those feelings to do some deep work in me and with that, I was able to help support my stepdaughter in a way that was meaningful to her.
On my drive to her, I prayed for wisdom for what to say and asked God to help me know what she really needed. I prayed for the right words to help her feel comforted, to not let my actions show any negativity, and above all, for her to feel loved. Knowing that there wasn’t really anything I could say to make her feel better, praying helped me remember that God has her and me. He led me to show compassion, love, and empathy. Something that He has been working on in me.
When I arrived I walked in the door, I gave her a huge hug. She didn’t know I was coming so when she saw me I could see on her face that I was really what she needed. There was such a feeling of relief and comfort for me, as I had prayed to God to provide those things.
In moments of desperation, when everything feels outside of our control, it is so important to remember that God has us. We just need to go to Him. And as it says in Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye upon you."
I invite you to go to Him first, to pray, and to trust in Him. We can’t do life on our own, and we do not have control. He knows the plan for us and it’s something better than we could ever imagine.
With love,
Cortney
Guest Experience Coordinator