Proverbs 3:5 Even when it seems impossible, keep trusting God. (author paraphrase)
There is a superstition that says bad events take place in a series of threes. But my experience has been that three can be a very providential number.
In the spring of 2019, I had three major life events. The company I worked for had just been purchased, and the culture change was immediate and negative. I asked God if it was time for me to leave. My answer came quickly; I was laid off.
The next event happened one evening while I was digging through my husband’s work backpack looking for a notebook, and I came across a note from another woman. The sting was sharp and shocking, and it wasn’t the first affair. My marriage was over.
The third occurrence took place as I began interviewing for a new job. I had multiple second and third interviews and while any of the positions would have been great, I didn’t have peace. One evening while praying, I felt a swell in my heart to move closer to my mom and step-dad, three states away. I knew that God was telling me to go.
My life quickly became a whirlwind of divorce details, moving boxes, and saying goodbye to friends. While I felt vulnerable and even ashamed of my circumstances, a “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) filled my days and my conversations. I should have been in shambles, and yes, I did cry often, but my situation didn’t crush me. I was holding the hand of the triune God who created the universe and me (Psalm 139:13) and he was in control of these circumstances.
With little money and no job prospects, I was headed to a new place where I knew almost no one. Thus began God’s first series of threes for me:
- He filled me with courage.
I came across an old song by Sara Groves called Expedition, and through the lyrics I felt Jesus was inviting me to go on adventure with him, to meet him “at the river” to look for lost time. (I felt I had lost a lot of years, 16 in fact, in a marriage that was no more.) I played this song on repeat during the two-day drive to Montana. - He provided for my needs.
I had parents that loved me and let me move in with them as a 42-year-old with two cats. I instantly had shelter and support.
I sought out making some new friends by venturing into a church one Sunday morning knowing no one. I volunteered to serve coffee prior to service on the following Sundays in the hopes of meeting new people. There, I struck up a friendship with the woman who was heading up the church volunteers. Later that year, her husband started a financial planning firm and she joined him. Together, they helped me put my finances back together free-of-charge, to “bless me” as they put it. (My divorce was messy — my ex had a gambling problem and a lot of resulting debt). This couple would become some of my closest, dearest friends, and I would work with them at their firm, which is where I am today, writing this story. ❤️
3. He showed me how to forgive.
I was swiftly thrown away after giving 12 years of service to my company. Then my husband threw me and our 16-year marriage out too. But God was still with me, and he rescued me out of those circumstances and showed me how to have a future without bitterness. He did this by putting the theme of forgiveness in front of me everywhere I went: in church sermons, in the devotionals I read, in song lyrics on the radio, and in the stories of new people that I met.
God didn’t just give me a series of three (blessings) during this time, but more like 300+ in the years that followed. Jobs, more friends, trips and adventures, a new husband, and eventually, He led me to working in a place where I have the opportunity to minister to others.
If you are facing a series of devastating threes in your life or even one situation that could pull you under, remember to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Don’t be afraid of superstitions or any difficult event but instead look to a faithful and trustworthy God that is above all events and circumstances. He can not only provide peace through the midst of the difficulty but provide what you need in abundance.
