Even If You Don't

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19, NIV). 

It was a chilly evening, just before dark when I took a drive down some of the backroads where I grew up. I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for all the things the Lord has done in my life. I came to a near stop along one of the roads as I watched the deer grazing in the open fields, and sent a text to my oldest brother. 

He’s seven years older than me, and I can still remember him dreaming about all the things he wanted to happen in his life–a good job, his own farm, a wife, and a family. Now he’s living that dream every single day. My message to him was simple: I hope you are grateful to God every day for the blessings He has given you.

I teared up as I realized, in some ways, I’m still in the phase of life he once was. Waiting. Believing. But yet to see some of the dreams of my life come to fruition. My brother sent an encouraging message back, but one thing was missing. And it’s something in life that can be hard to acknowledge: sometimes the hopes, desires, and dreams we have don’t come. 

I don’t know if I’ll ever be a wife.

I don’t know if I’ll ever be a mother.

I don’t know if I’ll ever live in a beautiful home surrounded by acres of rolling Kentucky hills.

I promptly responded to my brother: Even if it doesn’t happen, God is still good. After hitting the send button, my heart began to hum the song "Even If" by MercyMe that says: “Even if you don’t, my hope is you alone.”

Those aren’t just words I’m typing. They are words I believe in the depth of my heart and soul in a way I never used to. As I have continued to walk with Jesus, He has shown me what it means to live an abundant life. The source of that abundance is Christ alone. Philippians 4:19 says:

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

I cannot begin to tell you how thankful I am to be living this truth before the dreams of my heart come to pass. By knowing that it is in Christ alone that my needs are supplied, I won’t transfer that expectation onto someone who was never intended to provide that in my life. My needs are not supplied by a spouse, through children, and they are not fulfilled in things like a home. 

Though I am occasionally filled with emotion for the things my heart desires, the older I get, the more I am filled with gratitude for this life I am living with and in Christ alone. Heart knowledge of scripture reminds of the truth found in the message I returned to my brother: Even if it doesn’t happen, God is still good. 

Whatever you’re walking through today, may that message resound in your head, and seep down to your heart as a reminder of just how much God loves you, and will meet all your needs.