Encouragement

---

In the last year, I have been through still much more trials and nearly unbearable struggles. At the top of the list would have to be my hospitalization in June 2009 (this was my fourth hospitalization for the same reasons) for extremely homicidal/suicidal thoughts and feelings, which I was going to act on the night that I decided to go home, get some sleep, and go to the hospital in the morning. I had spent 3 or 4 months without any medication, since I either could not afford it or could not function at all with what was prescribed to me at the time. I will be honest; I had been telling God for nearly 15 years that I had had all that I could take, and that I could not take anymore pain. After all, the Bible says that God will not give you more than you can handle in 1 Corinthians 10:13.

After I got out of the hospital, which I now owe over 9,000 dollars to for five days of stay to save my life, over the next week or so I struggled with God. For the first time in my life I was actually questioning whether or not God did indeed care about me. Now do not mistake what I am saying. I am not saying that I gave up on God, or that I was even mad at God. I had just been through so much that I felt like God was not helping me in any way, but I kept on trusting that He knew what He was doing, which He clearly did. One night, about a week and a half after getting out of the hospital,, I told God these exact words, "God, you have got to show me something that lets me know you care. I am at the bottom and I truly cannot take it anymore (as I had been saying for the last 15 years). I need to know that you still care about me. I am done living this life of pain. It is now to much to bear."

Over the next few weeks, I started seeing God work in my life in a way that I had never seen before. I started feeling His presence like never before. Things really started getting better, or at least easier to deal with. For instance, I, for the first time ever in my life, was down to taking one medication, only two pills a day(now I am down to 1 pill a day), but more importantly, and also for the first time in my life, it was a medication that actually worked very well. I also, and this was huge, started getting my medication for free from the government because of my low income, so now I wouldn't have to go without my meds anymore.

I then decided that it was finally, after almost 15 years, time to stop dumbing myself down to make others feel better about themselves and embrace the God given talents, such as my intermediate genius IQ, my knack for poetry writing, and other things that I have been neglecting completely since that specific point in time in the 6th grade (another story for another time.

Then, after about 2 1/2 weeks, something happened. Something that changed my life forever.

I had, just the night before, decided that it was time to forget about girls and focus on my relationship with God for a while. I was literally going to not even think about dating for at least several months. However, God had other plans. The next morning I got onto a free dating sight that I had been using online, and I had a message form a girl named Emily Archer. She was a Vet Med student at K-state, someone who I thought was way out of my league. I was not going to message her back, I wasn’t even going to get on the sight, but something (and by something I mean God) told me to get online, and then to message this lovely young lady back.

Well, I did just that. Then, about a week and a half or so later, she agreed to meet me for a date. That night I prayed that if this was the girl that God wanted me to spend the rest of my life with, to let me know it the second that I met her, but if not, that the date would not go well and I would go back to not dating for a time.

So, on July 5th, 2009, I had my first date with Emily Elizabeth Archer, and I can honest to God say that, and she knows this, the second I met her I knew that I was going to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her. Our date turned into 4 mini dates that afternoon, and lasted for 8 hours. Over the next 2 months we spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours together, just talking, hanging out, and having Bible studies here and there. Several times we just sat on her couch from like 4pm or so until the sun came up again, just talking, and then went to Tuttle Creek and watched the sunrise.

I then spent the fall semester going to MCC, where I had 17 credit hours and finished the semester with a, not so great for me, 3.6ish GPA.

Without all the other details, Emily and I were engaged 7 weeks or so after meeting, and on October 2, 2009, we got married.

Now, as great as all of that sounds, that is not the best part.

2 weeks after we got married, sparing all the details, I had the amazing opportunity to lead my new wife to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I now get to see my son on a much more regular basis as well, which is beyond awesome in every way.

I am also in the process of self publishing a book of my poetry and Quotes, and in a few months am going to start writting a book about my entire life thus far and some of the things that God has taught me through my many stuggles.

I am truly ten times the man I was a year ago, thanks only to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He never left me and He never gave up on me. And when I called on him in my greatest time of need, He came through like He always has.

Two main things that I have learned over these past 12 months are two of the most important things that I have ever, and probably ever will, learn. The first one is that when God said He will not give you more than you can handle, he did not mean "more than you think you can handle." He and only He truly knows how much each of us can take. I, and I am 100% serious when I say this, would not give up a single thing that I have been through in my life, no matter how painful it was. For I surely would not be the man I am today without each and every one of those struggles.

The second thing that I learned, and this is the most important thing that I believe any person can ever learn, aside from the saving love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, is that God HAS TO BE ENOUGH! No matter how many people treat you wrong. No matter how many struggles and trials you go through. No matter how much stress you have. Even if you have literally no one and nothing left on this harsh planet, God still has to be enough. Because if He is not enough; If He is not first in your life; If He is not the most IMPORTANT thing in you life; If He is not ultimately all that matters to you; If you are not willing to both live and die for Him, then nothing else will ever satisfy you and you will always and forever be broken and hurting and without a purpose in your life.

I am learning new things every day and I will continue to grow stronger in my Lord, as it is a life long process. I am still dealing with a lot of things, and will undoubtedly continue to do so for the rest of my life here on earth, but my perspective is very healthy now, and I indeed have a new lease on life. I would encourage all who read this message to come to know the previous paragraph of this message as truth and nothing less.

For those who are with me in the faith, stay strong in the Lord and continue to read your Bible and pray earnestly, and seek the will of God each and every day.

To those who do not share in our eternal salvation, I urge you to send me a message, so that we can talk about just such things. I am always willing to listen and encourage anyone who will both speak and hear me as well.

Peace be with you all in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to God the Father for all that is in this message.

Love in Christ,
Trevor "Unashamed" Slone

Please feel free to check out my book "Poetry and Wisdom About Life, Love, and What Really Matters,"
which is for sale as of April 8,2010.

Just go to my website at trevorslone.com for details on how to purchase my book, or to learn more about me.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE