Recently I was stunned to witness a blog post I had written back in January go just a wee bit viral. Due to one simple share by a kind blogger with a massive reach, it was being read all over the world within minutes. I was beyond amazed to see the way my prayers for this post were being answered and when this started, I made a promise to God I would tell this whole story to shine a light on His goodness. Because not one thing was about me, for me, or because of me. He did this and I want to share with you what He’s revealed to me about His purpose in it!
I knew there were still a handful of people reading this letter to single and sometimes single moms each day since it was originally written. But when I started seeing so many additional comments suddenly coming in at once, I was completely stunned yet completely in awe as perfect strangers poured their hearts out in response. It was all I could do to contain the tears as a deeps sense of coming full circle came over me.
Words couldn’t fully express how humbled and grateful I felt to read that these women really were feeling understood, heard, and noticed. Truly, all I wanted was for the single and ‘sometimes single’ moms that needed encouragement and a listening ear from someone who understands to find what they were looking for. I wanted to write exactly the letter that I would have wanted to read when I was a married Mom doing life most days without my husband by my side.
I took some time to pray for all the women who had found their way to my blog, and for those who had the courage to reach out despite their pain. I wanted to fully soak up whatever it was God had planned, and determined to write back to every single comment starting the next morning.
Meanwhile, traffic unlike any I’d ever seen kept coming every few seconds, so in my state of shock and awe, I took to my blogging facebook group! I started a thread asking if anyone knew where all this extra activity could be coming from. I ultimately was directed to what you can see in this photo below. The owner(s) of Kids Activities blog had found it and shared it. Plain and simple, I could never thank them enough!
God brought over forty thousand people to read this blog post within a few days and He moved mountains to bring this post to the top of Google search engine.
Which leads me to why I’m writing today. My hope in telling you all of this is for my experience to demonstrate that anything is possible! No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him!
I want to encourage the bloggers among you that the most unexpected things can happen even eight months after a post was written, and ten months into blogging. God has plans for your blog that may far exceed your own hopes and dreams. So please keep writing; let you stories shine a light where it is dark! Let your trials become your testimony, because I can promise you that someone out there needs to hear it!
I also want to encourage all of the amazing moms that are now connected here since that very blog post. I am for you and I am so grateful you’ve landed here! Please know that I’m always available for prayer or just to listen to you. Many have commented on the blog, facebook page, and emailed & you can too. After all, that’s why I do this blogging thing, to get to know you. Cause I like you! 😉
So if you’re currently walking a long, hard road with no clear end in sight? “Stand firm in the faith. Do so in the knowledge that your fellow believers are enduring the same suffering throughout the world” 1 Peter 5:9
I want to leave you with a few quotes I liked to reflect on during my hardest days. Soak them up and saturate your soul with truth!
“God is using your present circumstances to make you more useful for later roles in His unfolding story”
Louie Giglio
“Every experience God gives us, every person He brings into our lives, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.” Corrie Ten Boom
Let’s talk! What lifts you up when you’re heavy with doubt? Do you have lots of favorite quotes and verses like me? 🙂
Sometimes sharing with these friends and holleygerth.com
Thank you so much for writing this! I needed the encouragement today, the reminder, that anything is possible with God! I’m praying some big prayers and believing for some miracles to come to pass in the next couple of days. Thank you again!
Thanks for sharing Jennifer – I will join you in prayer! I’m so thankful that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains! “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20
God is good! What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yes He is! Thanks for being here 🙂
It really is amazing and so true that your own voice is important and with God, everything is possible!
Amen to that! Thanks for visiting She Lives Free : )
This is encouraging—thanks for sharing your awesome story!
Blessings,
Sarah
Glad you found encouragement Sarah! Thanks for visiting She Lives Free!
This is beautiful. I am amazed at how God moves and how he is in the business of surprising us with Himself! Thanks for the encouragement, I always need the push forward! This was especially helpful: “God has plans for your blog that may far exceed your own hopes and dreams. So please keep writing; let you stories shine a light where it is dark! Let your trials become your testimony, because I can promise you that someone out there needs to hear it!”
Thanks so much for that specific feedback, Tammy! So glad you were encouraged! So in the spirit of specific feedback, my favorite part of your comment was, “He is in the business of surprising us with himself!” Awesome : ) Be blessed, friend!
Thanks so much for this encouragement Sybil!
Grateful to know you found encouragement here Jen!
Very inspiring 🙂 Yes, anything can happen!
Absolutely Julie! Thanks for visiting She Lives Free!
I love this so much, Sybil. Reading this post, i feel like God is trying to get my attention about expressing gratitude more. So happy you shared
Oh that made me smile : ) Thanks so much for sharing that with me! He works in amazing ways!
What an amazing story! Congrats on your success.
Thanks for your sweet comment and thanks for visiting She Lives Free!
Well looky here, I spied you on Jennifer Lee’s link up and what a celebration for the Throne room I found!!! Well done good and faithful servant. You obeyed the call and let Him do his Kingdom work. I a proud of to call you a sister in Jesus and even prouder to watch you point it all back to Him! He is the only one who could do this stuff! I am praying the same BIG prayers for my new little account on Instagram. I am just the steward. Now it’s His show. xo 🙂
http://www.instagram.com/brokenmadebeautiful
You are the sweetest – Thank you so much for this amazing encouragement sweet sister! Praying big prayers for you and your ministry!!
Thank you so much for this beautiful post of encouragement! How amazing are the ways that God uses us!
Thanks for your sweet comment and thanks for visiting She Lives Free!
Thank you for this beautiful and encouraging post! I’m blessed to hear how God has worked through your heart in sharing your story and words through this platform. Sometimes I get discouraged when I blog, wondering if my words matter and are reaching anyone, and this came at the perfect time. Thank you!!
Thanks for your sweet comment and thanks for visiting She Lives Free! So grateful you found encouragement here!!
I love this! I needed to hear this, too. 🙂 Found you through the Peony Project. 😉 Can’t wait to read more!
Awe thanks so much Kristy and thanks for letting me know you stopped by! I am so glad you found encouragement here and am so looking forward to getting to know you too!