Life's Long Hard Road
"Life is what you make of it.", a common adage used to express the way in which we can choose to receive the challenges of this world. Ronald Reagan once said that "Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music." An awesome outlook. There are countless phrases and anecdotes that impress upon us a sunnyside to a darkened day. But sometimes even the strongest raincoats cannot prevent the rain from dampening your clothes.
Spring of last year I separated from my family. Immediately after that my estranged family publicly shamed me. My Immediate brother lost the love of his life to a drug overdose that following summer. The little girl whom I love with all my heart and delivered singlehandedly, okay I used both hands, is no longer talking to me. Upon separation from my girlfriend, I discovered that she had let the utilities fall behind by nearly $2,000 and my hours at work had been cut in half. Life was pretty bleak.
Through that storm I stayed the course, I slugged away at this project as if the "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background on repeat. Walking three miles five days a week through rain, sleet or snow to get to work my hours were earned back. Meals were made possible through food pantries and Dollar Tree items. Depression gripped my very soul but it did not stop me.
The holidays were lonely and bare, but family was a phone call away and there have been some amazing people from my church who have been both supportive and loving. With the new year came new hope for a better tomorrow. But fate was not through with this guy just yet. Endurance tested, strength strained, willpower running low there was yet one more great hurdle that required a leap of faith. My father passed away at the end of the first week of the new year.
They say that God does not give us more than we can handle, but they also say that He wants us to move by His strength, not ours. I can attest that God must think I am a badass and that in the end, I had no choice but to put it all in His hands. I had been pushed farther than I could possibly go, yet fall I did not.
Through all this adversity, in the midst of this war of will, during this torrential downpour of misfortune and heartache, there has ever been this single comfort: the God of Isaac, of Moses and of David. Knowing that where I could not move on He would carry me; one foot swung in front of the other. Believing that this nightmare would serve some great purpose that would result in a harvest of joy and happiness fueled me. Falter yes, but give up? Not ever. Praise God for these tribulations that strengthen me.
Today the Lord has seen fit to bless me with a working vehicle, a fiscal raise at work, a loving family in my congregation; He has reunited my siblings and given me a clear goal to financial freedom. Only God can do such a thing in the midst of chaos. Who else could churn out such blessings from such disaster? No one.
There is no telling what is to come next, where the road of life shall lead. Nonetheless, we travel it. In May of last year, I had called people to watch things unfold in my life to see what God will do and I have been humbled by His faithfulness. Now I ask you fine folks who follow along on this blog to stay faithful and witness the birth of a game that is being forged in the fires of adversity. There is no telling what the end result will look like, but nothing worthwhile comes easy.
Nathan
Developer Producer
nathan.epimetheus@gmail.com
Spring of last year I separated from my family. Immediately after that my estranged family publicly shamed me. My Immediate brother lost the love of his life to a drug overdose that following summer. The little girl whom I love with all my heart and delivered singlehandedly, okay I used both hands, is no longer talking to me. Upon separation from my girlfriend, I discovered that she had let the utilities fall behind by nearly $2,000 and my hours at work had been cut in half. Life was pretty bleak.
Through that storm I stayed the course, I slugged away at this project as if the "Eye of the Tiger" played in the background on repeat. Walking three miles five days a week through rain, sleet or snow to get to work my hours were earned back. Meals were made possible through food pantries and Dollar Tree items. Depression gripped my very soul but it did not stop me.
The holidays were lonely and bare, but family was a phone call away and there have been some amazing people from my church who have been both supportive and loving. With the new year came new hope for a better tomorrow. But fate was not through with this guy just yet. Endurance tested, strength strained, willpower running low there was yet one more great hurdle that required a leap of faith. My father passed away at the end of the first week of the new year.
They say that God does not give us more than we can handle, but they also say that He wants us to move by His strength, not ours. I can attest that God must think I am a badass and that in the end, I had no choice but to put it all in His hands. I had been pushed farther than I could possibly go, yet fall I did not.
Through all this adversity, in the midst of this war of will, during this torrential downpour of misfortune and heartache, there has ever been this single comfort: the God of Isaac, of Moses and of David. Knowing that where I could not move on He would carry me; one foot swung in front of the other. Believing that this nightmare would serve some great purpose that would result in a harvest of joy and happiness fueled me. Falter yes, but give up? Not ever. Praise God for these tribulations that strengthen me.
Today the Lord has seen fit to bless me with a working vehicle, a fiscal raise at work, a loving family in my congregation; He has reunited my siblings and given me a clear goal to financial freedom. Only God can do such a thing in the midst of chaos. Who else could churn out such blessings from such disaster? No one.
There is no telling what is to come next, where the road of life shall lead. Nonetheless, we travel it. In May of last year, I had called people to watch things unfold in my life to see what God will do and I have been humbled by His faithfulness. Now I ask you fine folks who follow along on this blog to stay faithful and witness the birth of a game that is being forged in the fires of adversity. There is no telling what the end result will look like, but nothing worthwhile comes easy.
Nathan
Developer Producer
nathan.epimetheus@gmail.com
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