By Nancy Virden (c)2021

If you have been reading this blog, you know I am moving. (Hence the New Year Toast for 2022). The house in which I am typing this has been my home since 1992. Thirty years of hope, child-raising fun, disappointments, and dread.

For six of those years, I lived outside Philadelphia where I experienced most of the latter two. Pain and dashed hopes led to attempted suicide, my marriage ended, I lived 8 hours from my grown children and friends. The fear of living and loss emptied me; mentally I was ill. Still, the Holy Spirit used wise counselors to open my eyes to truth and denial and to know the difference. He gave me the courage to change.

My return to Ohio and this house was an adjustment. Other people had changed too. Forming new friendships and reuniting with old ones exercised those new relational skills I’d been taught in Philadelphia. Unexpected hardships tested my trust in God’s provision. Through it all, I have emerged as a stronger, more resilient, less judgemental, and open person. It took seven years from the initial move to Philadelphia for joy to return. It is a great pleasure being home again.

One leftover from my marriage is debt. More recent home repairs were added to it. To be debt-free is the main reason this house is for sale. I am downsizing from an entire house to an 8 x 10 bedroom. The friend with whom I will be boarding has generously offered a desk in her office and art space in the basement. Most of what fills this house – anything from furniture to dishes – will be donated. I am glad to have been a purger of stuff over the years because there is much less to concern myself with now.

Trust in God the Father has never failed me. 1 Corinthians 13 describes the love of God. It says love never fails. Since God’s nature is Love, that means HE never fails. -COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 John 4:15-17

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us… God is love.

If you are feeling suicidal, or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or for a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.

If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room. In the EU call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here ). Hope and help are yours!

Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair. NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional, and speaks only from personal experience and observations. In no way is this website intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.

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