Finding a Blessing in the Middle of the Storm

As many of you know, the past few months have been extremely difficult for my family and me. So many people have reached out to ask how we're doing, and I sincerely appreciate everyone who has checked on us.

Mentally, it's been tough. I'm not going to lie.

Day after day, watching people slander you, spread lies about you and even attempt to have you removed from your job takes a toll. There have been things happen that I don't even care to share publicly.

Through it all, people have asked how I've managed to keep going.

My answer is simple: Faith.

I've learned that anytime you try to change your life and walk a different path, you're going to face trials and tribulations. And when you're going through those difficult times, you can't help but wonder how anything good could possibly come from them.

Believe me, I've asked myself that question many, many times.

Where's the silver lining? Where's the blessing in all this?

For the longest time, I couldn't find one.

But Saturday, while taking a ride through the wilderness with Tracie and talking about everything we've been through, something suddenly hit me.

Something I had prayed about for years had finally happened. And I hadn't even realized it.

For many years, my daughter Jordan and I haven't had the relationship either of us wanted. To say things have been strained would be an understatement.

Why? Well, we're a whole lot alike. We're both stubborn, strong-willed and sometimes a little too hard on one another.

It's been that way for several years. She now lives in South Carolina, which makes spending time together even more difficult.

Back during the summer, we started talking again. We agreed to put the past behind us and try to move forward. At first, we were cordial, but things were still a little awkward. We were both cautious, almost afraid of saying or doing something that might send us right back to where we'd been.

Then came the board of education controversy.

What started as questions and criticism became something much more personal. Rumors were spread, lies were told, and I was accused of things that simply weren't true. It seemed some people were determined to create whatever narrative was necessary to accomplish their goal.

As things became more difficult, something else began happening.

Jordan and I started talking more.

Then we started talking every day.

Before long, I noticed her on social media defending her dad.

Every single day, she checked on me. She worried about me. And like any daughter who loves her father, she didn't want to see him hurting or being attacked.

With every conversation, our relationship grew stronger. The walls that had separated us for so many years were slowly coming down.

And the beautiful thing is, they have continued coming down.

What I didn't realize at the time was that the very things causing me so much pain were bringing my daughter and me closer together.

Then Saturday, it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

One of the worst experiences of my life had given me one of the greatest blessings I could ever receive.

It had reunited a father and his daughter.

Not only had it brought us back together, but it had helped us build a relationship unlike anything we've ever had before.

I was just 20 years old when Jordan was born. I didn't truly understand what love was until the first time I held that little girl in my arms.

She was my first real love.

And no matter how many years pass, how far apart we live or how difficult life becomes, she'll always be that little girl I held in my arms all those years ago.

I've prayed so many times for God to help us find our way back to one another. There were moments when I wondered if those prayers would ever be answered.

But they were.

Just not in the way I expected.

I've always believed that God hears our prayers, even during our darkest hours. He knows our hearts, our struggles and the things we long for most.

Sometimes we just have to be still, be patient and let Him work.

That's not always easy. In fact, sometimes it's one of the hardest things we'll ever do.

But Saturday, I finally understood.

And to those who have spent the past several months attacking me, spreading rumors and trying to tear me down, I have something to say.

Thank you.

Yes, you read that correctly. Thank you.

Because in the midst of all that anger, bitterness and criticism, something happened that you never intended.

You helped bring my daughter back into my life.

Without everything that happened, I don't know when, how or even if Jordan and I would have found our way back to one another.

What you intended to hurt me has blessed me in a way I could never begin to repay.

You gave my daughter her father back. A father she has needed in her life for a long time.

And you gave me my first baby back.

She's a grown woman now, a wonderful mother with a life of her own. But to me, she'll always be my little girl.

And having her back in my life, truly back in my life, is something I've wanted and prayed for more than words can describe.

I've spent months wondering why God was allowing all this to happen. Why the attacks? Why the pain? Why put my family through so much?

Now I realize that while I was focused on everything going wrong, God was quietly working on something far more important.

He was answering a prayer I'd carried in my heart for years.

God really does work in mysterious ways. Sometimes He even uses the people who persecute us to strengthen our faith and bring blessings into our lives.

So, to everyone who has asked how I'm doing, I can finally give you an answer.

I'm doing better than you might imagine.

Because after everything that's happened, I've gained something far more valuable than anything I've lost.

I got my little girl back.

And for that, I'll be forever grateful.

God is good. Even in the middle of the storm.