By: Tyann Countryman

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2-3

I’ve struggled with trust for many years. Family, friends and even church members have let me down. This made me wonder, “How do I trust God through trouble, pain and brokenness?”

Growing up in a small church in a small town, I experienced a Pentecostal upbringing in the 80s and 90s. To be honest, church sometimes scared me. I always felt I had to be saved over and over again. On top of that, broken trust in my relationships didn’t help with building my trust in God.

As time went on, I married Jeff. We were young and in love, starting a family and raising three wonderful boys. God led us to minister across North America, and moving all the time made it hard to get close to people. We would make friends, then leave them behind. I constantly questioned, “Why would God bring us somewhere to love people, only to move us again?”

Eventually, we reached a place where we felt truly happy. Jeff was the lead pastor; Kody, our oldest, was the youth pastor; his wife Madii worked at the preschool; Eli, our middle son, was at UCLA; Sage, our youngest, was interning at our church and I worked as Kody’s administrative assistant. Life seemed perfect, and we believed we had finally found a place to stay.

But then, the hardest trial of our lives hit. Unhealthy financial decisions made by Jeff, decisions I had no knowledge of, caused our family to lose everything. We were treated as outcasts. In one week, we lost our jobs, our home, our savings and our friends, and our dog suffered a spinal stroke. My trust was broken, not just by Jeff, but by the church and God. No one asked how I was doing. I sat there in shock, asking why God was allowing this.

That was the darkest moment of my life. My trust in God was shattered. However, God, in His mercy, began to show up. He provided a place to live, food and jobs. People supported us emotionally and financially. Slowly, I began to see that while humans can fail, God remains faithful. He showed me that He was the only one I could truly trust. Through that painful time, our family came together, leaning on each other and on God.

Now, seven years later, Jeff has been restored, and we live in a beautiful home. We’re paying down our debt and are back in ministry. Eli is still in LA, but the rest of us are together. Looking back, I see how God used that trial to build my trust in Him. Today, I no longer question, “Can I trust God?” 

I know I can.

Even when we are unfaithful, God is always faithful. He cannot deny who He is.

2 Timothy 2:13