The Works of God

Julie and Mark Martindale are one of those couples who love Jesus and do really hard things because of what Jesus has done for them.  As Julie writes in her ‘about me‘ page on her blog, “Lest you think we are either crazy or saints, we are neither–just followers of Jesus Christ who desire to follow his commands to take care of the orphans and widows.”

I was catching up on Julie’s blog and was struck by how beautifully she writes about very, very hard things.  And continues to trust in God.

How else can you explain statements like this?

I felt so thankful  that I get to be her Mom. It is an incredible honor–one I don’t always appreciate in the way that I should. My experiences with her changed me in ways I didn’t even know needed changing..and stretched me farther than I could have ever thought possible. Through her disability, God has ordered by priorities.  Read the entire post.

Or facing an entirely new set of circumstances in a young adult with disabilities, and ending with this statement?

But, the game isn’t over for us as McKenna’s parents..it is just beginning in many ways…and we will learn to navigate the system again like we did 18 years ago. Read the entire post here.

This life is full of hardship of every kind.  And God is greatly to be praised in how he provides in every circumstance.

Julie and Mark, thank you for living this reality:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10