Amy and I have both seen tragedy turn to God’s glory. Each of us was forever changed by experiencing the loss of our long-term (33 and 45 year) marriages due to the death of our spouses. But God showed his faithfulness as we grew closer to Him. Our story begins with an Elder at Harvest church, Kenny Johnson. Even though he had never met Amy, Kenny approached John suggesting that he listen to a podcast Amy had recorded for our church (a year earlier!) related to being a Christian in leadership over a large organization. And I listened. And said I wasn’t yet ready for a new relationship. And that unicorns are extinct. The very next weekend, I went flyfishing with my dear friends Russell and Lisa Gwatney. Just as the Wells and the Billings came alongside Amy during her grief, the Gwatneys had been an anchor for me. Russell knew that fly fishing is my happy place, and he invited me to spend the weekend on the Little Red River. God’s timing is sovereign and is always perfect. Here’s an example that proves it. The weekend after listening to the podcast and telling Kenny no, I told Lisa the story. Lisa asked who the Elder had recommended. When I told her, she declared enthusiastically “she’d be perfect for you!” Turns out she had been on two Emmaus Walks with Amy. They had met just as Russell and I did – through Emmaus. Even a week later it’s unlikely I would have mentioned the podcast and the connection been made. Lisa went about tracking Amy down through Facebook and after a week or so, Amy noticed her messages and got in touch. The arranged “interview” went well, and our first date was to the Corn Maze at Shelby Farms, then dinner at Blue Honey Bistro along with a side trip to meet my rescue dog, Ginger. It wasn’t too much longer that I began sending Amy shared iPhone notes asking and answering 10 questions a week to help us get to know each other. After discovering that we had so many things in common, Amy created the now famous “me too list.” A few entries include: • I am a member of Harvest. MT. • I’ve completed Downline. MT. • I have a black SUV. MT. • I love dogs. MT. • I had the privilege of caring for my spouse until (s)he passed away. MT. • I love to make lists. MT. • Toffee is my favorite. MT. • I believe the Lord ordained our meeting. MT. Our senior pastor Kennon Vaughan had preached a series on Ruth shortly before Amy and I met. Something that he said sums up our story and it’s this: the key to contentment is clinging to Christ regardless of the circumstance. It’s the secret for the people of God. Not that he will change the circumstance but that He is available and there is peace in His presence. We’ve seen God’s faithfulness. We have been given the wisdom of years of seeing God’s word prove itself out and years of seeing God’s character put on display. We know what it is to cling and to see God show up unmistakably and providentially.