Seven years ago, my family went through a crisis—our business partner stole everything from us. We were in shock. We were betrayed and what we felt was just beyond comprehension—hurt, pain and shame.
At the time, we were living in a big house that we could no longer afford. We had to pull out our older son from one of the best schools in Dubai as the fee was heavy on us. We felt like we crashed into a dead end and there was nowhere to go.
Debt can mess with our minds, and we had big one to pay back. It was in millions! In the eyes of man, it looked impossible—”how can my husband start all over again?” was the question that was on repeat in my head. I wrestled with God, asked Him questions—always “How?” and never “Why?” for I knew that this mourning is but for a season. I just knew that trusting Jesus is the only way out. So, I chose to trust even through the seasons of uncertainty. I chose to have faith and believe that everything that I read in the Bible will come to pass in my life.
The process was painful to say the least. We downsized, we home-schooled and we chose to have joy in the ordinary. Surely, I had moments when I wished that this would pass. I even had crazy thoughts—“only if someone would surprise us with a million dollar cheque.” God, in His grace, convicted me at that point and I asked for forgiveness immediately. Quick fix is not what was required, we need a solution that sustains. The mountain before us was not going to disappear and we just had to climb over it. The only way to climb—steadfast faith in the Lord.
I surrendered our debt to God. “Lord, I want to trust what You are about to do!” I prayed. I let go and let God work, and it felt like a huge burden got lifted off my chest. I was able redirect my focus on God. I was able to focus on my marriage and my children. I let go of all fear and doubt. And when I did that, I began to see my world through Gods lenses. I was no more listening to the lies of the world and becoming a slave to our debt.
My husband took up the major load of paying the debt and taking care of the family. There were times when he wanted to give up and times when he fell. But I watched him rise up stronger. We were on a crooked road and the road ahead looked scary but we learnt to trust God through it all. We were sure that God is working in us and through us. And that every true transformation involves pain and struggle.
There is no perfect story, there is no trouble-free journey—life has its set of troubles. Things get messy at times. But we hold onto to Jesus even it seems hard to hold on. “He will never leave us nor forsake us!” It is hard for people to fully understand the essence of this as it is not tangible. It requires great faith and also the application of this faith—“faith without work is dead.”
“70% of whatever I make will go into paying off the debt,” this was my husband’s commitment. His first cheque was AED 600 and he was scoffed at. “How are you going to pay off the huge debt with these small cheques?” But he was unshaken. He kept his commitment until the day we paid off everything—last month. Seven long years! I have learnt so much from him and fallen more deeply in love with him. I respect and honour him for not running away, for staying right here and facing all the pain and threats. We learnt to pray for the people who hurt us and we worked on having our heart in the right place.
I have transformed for the better in the last seven years. Material things no longer thrill me or give me joy. In the season of dearth, I have tasted the extravagant presence of God, His joy, His peace and His love. No amount of money or luxury of this world can ever compete with His love.
This year, February, we were able to pay our last cheque off and we are now debt-free. For years I imagined this day, and what it would look like. I imagined a huge party, shopping and celebrations. Now that we are here, my husband and I find it so surreal. It was truly the extraordinary provision and favour of God that sustained us and gave us a breakthrough. We met people who we never imagined meeting in our wildest of dreams. Things began to dramatically change when we surrendered it to God. Our family experienced a beautiful intimacy with God in the process as we stuck together as a family in faith. We never judged the other’s messiness but saw it as a part of growth. Our family is stronger than ever—this I can say boldly. Our children knew every detail of our journey as we wanted them to be a part of the process and trust God to provide. We learnt to live our lives dangerously with God; ditch all our plans and ready ourselves for His glorious adventures.
We were crushed in the process but He was making new wine. And today, I am no longer afraid of hard times. Once you experience the true nature of God, nothing can shake us. I won’t change the last seven years for anything. It made our family who we are today—stronger, closer and crazy about each other.
I am insanely, tenaciously in love with my Jesus. I don’t live by the world standards or pressure. Each step, a step of faith.
Consider this:
Simple rule – Be FREE in Christ:
F- Faith. It can surely move mountains but more than that it gives us the strength to climb and endure through the struggles. Let your faith be steadfast in the Lord.
R- Repent and be renewed. Sin can be deterrent when it comes to walking in complete liberty so it is important that we confess and repent. Check your heart regularly and eliminate even the slightest element of unholiness.
E- Encourage and be encouraged. There are many who are troubled just like you and me. Be sure to extend grace towards them and edify their spirit with the Word of God. It is also important to stay encouraged in His promises—we need infilling for an outpouring, don’t we? Feed your spirit with Scripture, praise and worship.
E- Exalt God in all times. It is hard to praise Him in the storm but press on. Know that He is wide awake even during the glaring thunder—He never sleeps, He never slumbers. Wait for Him to work—He is neither late nor early, He is just in time.
