Seeing the results of Perseverance

By Marcus Thomas

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

The words to come were written by the only world renowned expert in me. The one that knows what makes me smile, what makes be sad, and what keeps me going. I didn’t write any of the words below, but I lived and can attest to all of them. It’s absolutely amazing how I can look back and see how faithful God was during this season. I hope through my husband’s words you will be inspired and realize that you are on the brink. – Tiffani Thomas

One truth that life will teach you is that things are not always as they seem.  In life, an obstacle or trial can appear to be a serious problem or hardship.  However, on the other side of all the pain, sorrow, and struggle, you can find some beautiful lessons and outcomes.  It doesn’t make sense really.  I mean, how can you stay focused while going through the gusty winds and torrential downpour in whatever storm life has presented?  

God has many promises outlined in His Word to give us hope.  These promises are a gateway to our relationship with Him on our journey to realizing our true self as He sees us.  The essence of the hope is to sustain us through the waves (ups and downs) of life.  It helps us to surf those waves and not be consumed by them.  

About 5 and a half years ago, October 31, 2016, I was given a challenge during a church service.  The challenge was to stick with your goal for 5 years because normally we as people give up too easily and never stay committed long enough to see any results.  My goal was to start a tshirt business.  The theme was to never doubt what God has for me.  He wants me to prosper and to live life more abundantly using the gifts and talents I have inside.  He wants that for all of us.  Never doubting would become an essential practice for me from that day moving forward.  

There were many difficulties through the coming years.  One enormous trial came with my wife and I trying to conceive our children.  It took about a year to conceive our first child and that caused a lot of confusion with why it took so long.  We welcomed our first child in 2019.  However, once we tried for a second child we got pregnant a lot quicker and were ecstatic.  Tragedy struck in the first trimester as we experienced a miscarriage in 2020, not to mention all the other crazy things from that year.  As a husband, it was difficult trying to support and motivate my wife, while simultaneously figuring out how to grieve myself.  Early in 2021 we revisited that same fate with a second miscarriage.  How could this happen again?  The doctors said, “Sometimes these things just happen and there is no reason or explanation.”

The battle continued to not doubt God’s promises.  Some days I did doubt and wondered if we would ever conceive again.  I don’t know how another miscarriage would have affected us individually or as a couple.  My wife was putting so much on her back for our family and I just wanted our prayers answered and her joy refreshed and reborn.

I know you probably forgot about my tshirt business by now.  It was still moving slowly but I was believing in its mission and purpose to ‘Never Doubt’.  The name by this time had changed to ‘Brink’, but the theme remained the same.  You are on the brink of all the great things God has for you with one decision.  One of those decisions is to stay the course and never doubt what God promises to His children…that includes you.

Five years had passed and the day was October 31st, 2021.  What miraculous thing would happen for the business this day?  We were prayerful and expectant.  However, we could not have expected that we would discover that we were pregnant again.  How in the world could this be so?  On all days?  When I realized that this day coincided with a commitment I made 5 years ago in that church, I was overwhelmed with emotion, thankfulness, and gratitude to our Lord.  I wrote that date down on an orange 3×5 notecard and put it on our mirror to look at for 5 years.  We both saw that notecard all those years.  I’ll spare you the drama and let you know that this pregnancy produced our new bundle of joy and has made us a family of four!

God’s promises also prepare us for hardship.  Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord.  That means that all the good things and all the bad things work together for a beautiful master plan.  What lessons and tools did we pick up through that particular set of storms?

– God is always listening…never stop talking to him even if you are mad or confused

– Grieving is essential to taking the next step forward…find your way to grieve

– Perseverance is a key to strength and faith

– Endure the unknown and unsure times to see the fulfillment of God’s promises

– Everything isn’t always what it seems

– Though doubt will arise, fight against it head on and never doubt

You are on the brink of the fulfillment of God’s promises.  What promises are you believing for?  Sometimes all you need is a little bit of hope or faith the size of a mustard seed.  A little ray of sunshine will burst through the storm clouds of your life and brilliantly shine a radiant beam of hope.