A Reintroduction…
Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them." - Daniel 10:12
Hello there, friend! Long time no see, as they say. Welcome to my first blog post after a much needed summer break. With the long hiatus, I thought this would be an excellent time for a little reintroduction. A lot of life has happened since my last post, so it's a perfect time to catch everyone up! I really don't like to use up space here talking about me, but I think some background can help you understand my motivation for my writing ministry, and let us see if we share any common ground. Before you read further though, I just want to thank you for being here. My ministry would be nothing without your support, and that is not at all lost on me. So thank you for your follows, likes, comments, and participation. It truly means more than words can say. I hope you enjoy learning a little more about who I am and, more importantly, how God has shown up in my life in so many ways. Happy reading!
My name is Jennifer Wahl; my friends call me Jen. I grew up in a tiny town in Alabama close to the Mississippi state line with my parents and five siblings. I was raised in a life of consistency, going to the same church, school system, and restaurants for the first 18 years of my life - something that I was less than thrilled about at the time but now realize is a luxury afforded to few. My parents were both in the military, but their most impressive weapons were their Bibles. They both modeled strong work ethics as they provided for and took care of me and my siblings.
When I was ten years old at vacation Bible school, I answered Jesus's call to follow Him during a hymn of invitation. I wasn't baptized by immersion, however, until a few years ago. After graduating high school, I went to college at Auburn University where I would meet my husband, Stephen. I graduated with a degree in mathematics education and moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where my husband began medical school and I started teaching.
My life from birth until young adulthood was seemingly nothing special. I went to school, church, and football games. I got a degree, got married, and began my first job. Life was simple and good, but I wasn't content. And as I struggled with this discontentment, I looked and longed for things to fill my life, while what I really needed was a true relationship with Jesus. Yes, I had given my life to Jesus and was confident in my salvation, but I wasn't doing anything to nurture my walk with Him. Soon, I found myself in the middle of a spiritual battle for which I was ill-prepared and simply not ready.
A little over a year into our marriage, my husband and I found out that having children was likely going to be very difficult without medical intervention. The stress of this knowledge coupled with our busy schedules and figuring out life as newlyweds began to take its toll. The beginning of my infertility journey also marked the beginning of a new relationship status with Jesus, one we millennials would label it's complicated. You might see this as a negative, but looking back now I can see it was the necessary first step to reaching the level of committed. As the weeks of failed tests and treatments turned into months of disappointment, I began to get angry with God. I just didn't understand how something that "just happens" for other people was so evasive for me. Nothing about it felt fair, especially as I watched so many couples around me entering the seasons of pregnancy and parenthood. What was so wrong with me that I couldn't have that too?
But y'all, God was working. Although I couldn't see it at the time (and likely would have hated someone saying this to me), every delay detoured me with divine direction. Around two years into my infertility journey, I found myself changing jobs at what felt like an incredibly inconvenient time. I had not been looking for a change at all, but felt the slightest supernatural nudge to entertain a job offer that showed up in my inbox one day. Around the same time, my husband and I had made the decision to look for a fertility specialist as we had seen no results with my medical team. I had been apprehensive about both the job and the new doctor, but I was also so tired of clinging to the reins of my life. I had felt God telling me it was time to let go and let Him handle it. So I did.
Now, for those of you who find yourself in a similar situation today, I don't want you to think that one day I just told God to take it and then all of my prayers were quickly answered. On the one hand, I am ashamed that it took me so long to truly acknowledge that God had a better plan than my own. On the other, I know that my desire to become a mother wouldn't be fulfilled for over two more years, so I can empathize so deeply with how it felt to turn to God, yet still not be any closer to what I wanted.
Eventually, God did answer my prayer, and I was blessed with two babies at once! My son and daughter bring so much love and joy to my life, and remind me every day that God has seen me and heard my prayers. Their arrival was not without its complications though, as with their birth I lost my ability to ever have children again. So it was almost like God simultaneously answered my prayer with yes and no. And although the gift of children brought me to the end of one spiritual battle, how God would use it was just beginning.
About two years after my twins were born, I felt God calling me to share my testimony through writing. To be honest, I felt the initial call right after their birth, but attributed it to crazy hormones and a little bit of PTSD. But the call became louder, even being echoed by my family and friends. My biggest argument against this calling was that I felt unequipped to follow it. I had taken no classes on writing or publishing. Even though I had developed a keen interest in theology and Bible study, I was in no way an expert. As I was trying to make this argument one last time, I heard God clearly say, "Then go get equipped." Although I was alone, the words were as clear as if someone spoke them right into my ear.
Fast forward to the present and here I sit, still feeling unequipped and unqualified most days, but writing anyway. I devote time each day to studying and researching God's Word. I've taken classes on Bible study, theology, book writing, and publishing. Again, I am still nowhere near an expert, but I am working very hard, and honestly loving it. Knowing I am following God's call has been the thing keeping me steady through the past years of inconsistency. And last March, when the words "mass" and "pancreas" and "concerning spot" were used in the same sentence, it was the foundation of Christ that held me up and gave me the peace and strength to keep going.
All of this to say that the goal of my ministry is simple: I want to help you build what God helped me build. Namely, I want to share with you the truths He has revealed to me time and again that prove you can truly handle anything if your trust is in God. This world filled with its unseen forces of evil will try every day to convince you that God doesn't hear, or worse, that He doesn't care. And that's simply not true. That's why my prayer for this ministry is for God to fill me with His wisdom so that I can write it down and then share it with you.
Once again, thank you for being here friend. I look forward to loving and learning about God right alongside you. May He bless you and keep you always.
-Jen
