2025 was a year of trauma for our family…battles we never saw coming. Some we probably knew were looming, but they hadn’t yet raised their sword.
Foundation of Faith
We have weathered these wars as a strong family with a foundation of our faith, although some days survival felt at risk.
We have seen along this trail of tears the things intended by the enemy to take us out only made us stronger, closer, more determined, and smarter.
Year of Victory
2026 will be our year of Victory as we make a shield wall together and choose to continue the fight for the Kingdom of Heaven.
We are also training ourselves to notice how God shows up in our everyday lives. We have learned that if we aren’t paying attention, His ways are missed.
That is why God commands us, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” Ephesians 5:14. If you don’t look back over your day and answer the question of where you saw Him working in that very day, you miss Him.
When you drudge through days without looking up to where our help comes from (Psalm 121:1-2), you become numb, in a rut, and even dead inside.
This is why we must listen to this strong command.
Fighting off Doubt
As 2025 came to a close, I found myself frustrated with what seemed like a list of unanswered prayers. I often found myself fighting off doubt. Feeling ignored and forgotten was how the enemy was getting to me.
One December morning, my Warrior husband was driving us home from Casper on icy I-25. Now this Warrior of a man, who is a little rough around the edges, has some squishy spots no one else knows about.
Luckily, one of them is for me, especially when he knows my heart is in a lurch.
We came upon a rolled-over pick-up truck right past the Glenrock exit. Almost flattened with lots of debris that had flown out surrounding it.
Several people had already stopped, and we noticed some of them up on the hill by the ditch looking for something.
It was hard to see what was going on, but as we drove up the hill, we saw a dog running next to the highway. We knew immediately what they were looking for.
Save the Dog, At All Costs
That was the moment I decided to save the dog, at all costs and against all reason or safety.
The Warrior knows me well enough after 40 years, and no words were really needed to be spoken as he pulled over. I knew in my heart how scared the poor dog was and that chances of her coming to me were probably zero, but my heart had to try.
I knew not to chase her as that would cause more fear. We lost one of our family dogs due to this exact thing.
Even so, I tried to call to her, but she bolted across four lanes of traffic on I-25. I felt physically ill as we watched her almost lose her life to many oncoming vehicles.
At this point, risk assessment had gone out the window as we crossed the highway through the divider to the other side and were then headed in the opposite direction.
My heart was pounding out of my chest as I once again jumped out looking for this precious dog.
This time, I spotted her down in the ditch, she was stopped and looking at me. I tried to approach slowly, but just as before, she bolted. The snow was deep, and even though I was in full adrenaline mode, I realized I was never going to be able to catch her.
The Power of a Name
It was then that I realized we needed to call her by name to assure her we were going to help. Oh the power of a name, names matter to our God as He calls us.
Now we drove to the exit, circled underneath, back onto the highway, pulling over behind the wrecked vehicle, the first responders, and all the others trying to help.
This is when we learned about the family in the wreck, including two small children; some had already been taken to the hospital.
One family member, though bruised and scared, was still on the scene. He told us the dog’s name was Dixie, so we headed up the hill again to see if she would trust us.
She was nowhere in sight; we crossed to the other side of the highway again to the place we last spotted Dixie. I started walking the fence that lined the side, looking for an opening she might have slipped through.
There was a gap, and my heart sank in realizing there was nothing for miles, and if she had chosen to go that way, there would be little hope of ever finding her.
But then I noticed there were no paw prints through that opening. Right in that moment, I saw her precious face looking at me from a distance.
Trying again
For the third time, I slowly approached her, although she was quite a distance away.
And for the second time, she bolted across the four lanes of I-25. I watched in utter horror as a semi-truck barely missed her; my heart almost exploded.
Next, as I jump back in our truck, the Warrior drives to exit again, up the on-ramp, past the wreckage, and up the hill to where we saw her run.
There she sat, at the top of the embankment, ears on full alert. From there, she could not see her family, or the turned-over truck, or her kennel that had been thrown into a heap in the mayhem, and even though she kept looking in that direction, it was clear how traumatized she was.
Asking God for Help - Trust in the Lord
Now I began to pray out loud, asking God to help me get this precious pooch to safety and back to her family. I begged Him to calm her spirit and let her know that we were going to help, and she didn’t need to be afraid.
This time I called Dixie by name. I stopped every couple of feet to say her name. I told her I was there to help.
Dixie continued to look in the direction of the accident and then back to me, but she remained still. When I got within 10 feet or so, I got down on my knees and called her to me. She thought about it for a few seconds and then slowly approached me.
As I wrapped my arms around her, I was overcome with gratitude and all the feelings. The Warrior then came up the hill to carry her down so we could take her to her family.
I am not sharing this story to be a hero; my goal is to offer encouragement in case you are wondering if God will show up, hear you, and make Himself known in a way that has no other explanation.
I knew when I felt her soft fur and loudly beating heart, He was reminding me He hears my prayers, that I cannot give up hope, even when I don’t understand.
Don't Give Up Hope - Trust in the Lord
A wise believer once told me, when you choose to walk with God, life can look like the back of a tapestry. Strings that are jumbled and crossed. As a matter of fact, it appears to be nothing but knots and a tangled-up mess.
But if you could turn it around and see it through God’s eyes, it is a beautiful and clear picture of something remarkable.
That is probably why my favorite verse is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, seek His will in all you do, and He will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:5-6.
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