January 16, 2016
I had just turned 22. I was experiencing a newfound sweetness in my relationship with God. I was living life with my best friends – my mom and sisters. I was nannying for a great family. I was living in my favorite state, California. I was single with no option in sight. I was grieving the loss of my hero, my grandma. I had dreams and promises stored within my heart & I was trusting that at the right time, God would bring them to pass. Life at that point was not perfect and it was not always easy (grief never is), but life really was wonderful. I was experiencing the tangible feeling of PEACE and HOPE as I chose to trust my good God with my heart and everything in it.
This was me three years ago today.
Little did I know that the very next day, my life was about to get a thousand times better. Little did I know that the biggest desire in my heart was about to be fulfilled.
January 17, 2016
The day I met my husband. The day that God watched His good plan play out in our lives. I’m pretty sure a smile filled God’s face as He could hardly contain the excitement He felt as it was time to fulfill one of the greatest desire of our hearts – to meet our life-long best friend, teammate, and lover. I can just see God beaming with joy as I met Ethan. His joy knowing that He had something better than I could even imagine. The joy He felt as two of His children & His friends met. His joy knowing that we would soon become one and live a lifetime loving each other.
Oh, guys, God LOVES being faithful and good to us. The Bible says that “no good thing will God withhold from those who walk uprightly” (1) and that “the eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2) & that God “is able to do exceedingly ABUNDANTLY above all we ask, think, and imagine” (3). I could literally go on and on with Scriptures that speak of God’s heart for us to experience life, goodness, grace, excitement, and to see promises fulfilled. Bottom line, He is LOOKING for someone who trusts Him so He can show Himself so, so GOOD.
The Bible tells us simply that we can expect the genuine desires of our hearts to be given to us. All we have to do is seek God – talk to Him, trust Him, PURSUE Him. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you” (4).
He loves you. Yes, you. I promise you He really does and He desires nothing more than for you to know how much He loves you and for you to experience the ABUNDANCE of all that comes with having a personal relationship with Him.
If you choose today to trust God & seek Him, you can rest assured that your trust will not be in vain. You might just be on the homestretch of singleness or whatever else you’ve been praying for. You could be just a few months, weeks, days, or merely minutes from your promise fulfilled. Faith is never fruitless. Trust is never wasted. One of these days will be your “day before ___” (:
Hope you are encouraged today! Praying for each one of you.
XOXO Sammy Kastello
Scripture references from above:
- Psalm 84:11
- 2 Chronicles 16:9
- Ephesians 3:20
- Matthew 6:33
