Seated in the gallery of awe: Jubilee

By the time GP and I finished our degree programs (my undergraduate and his graduate), suffice it to say we had amassed a small fortune in student loan debt. For the first few years of our marriage, we accepted this debt as our status quo, and we weren't too concerned with making more than the required monthly payment. Someday, the debt would be gone. Someday.

About two years ago, we both felt the Lord impress upon our hearts that it was time to address this debt. At first, we took baby steps, but we realized that wasn't what He was asking us to do. He was asking us to change our lifestyle to reflect a life of more simplicity.

We didn't realize it at the time, but in calling us to simplify, He was giving us a gift. Or, rather, He was continually giving us a gift. As we got rid of things we never needed in the first place, we not only had more money to put toward the debt, but we also had more quality time together. A gift. And later, as we grew more disciplined in the amount we were putting toward this debt, we saw the faithfulness of God time and time and time and time again, as He provided for us when we weren't sure how that provision was going to come. A gift.

It's a thrilling place to live, seeing God move as only He can do. His goodness has always been there with us. I know that. But in the last two years, He's given us new eyes to see and ears to hear, and we are amazed. A gift.

When we had our little guy, we went down to one income. In some miraculous way, we were able to not only maintain our debt payments, but increase them. A gift.

The incredible nature of God, the beautiful nature of God, says that nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37).

In the Old Testament, every seven years debt was canceled. In our sixth year of marriage, we came close to being able to make one last payment several times. Yet, each of those times, we felt God direct those funds elsewhere. It didn't always make sense, but we knew that He knew what He was doing. On the day we made our final student loan payment, we realized we had just celebrated our seven-year anniversary. Wow. WOW. A gift.

On that day, I cried. GP was teary, too. We were completely blown away with the idea that tens of thousands of dollars in debt was gone. But even more, we were completely overwhelmed with the goodness of God, the kindness of God, the faithfulness of God.

We celebrated this day of Jubilee (Old Testament term and concept) with friends who had walked really closely with us during this season of life. They knew of the sacrifices and miracles we'd experienced in this process, and many of them had been part of those miracles themselves.

So, celebrate we did! With ice cream and lots of fake money!

We played a little trivia game to see how well these folks actually knew us. Turns out, they know us well!

When I think about this process, it stirs my heart. Romans 8:28 says that, "we know for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." He called us, purposed us, to get rid of this debt. But, he didn't leave us to do it ourselves.

When He calls us to do something, when He puts it on our hearts -- whatever it is -- He is drawing us into His plan. While I do think that the physical part of paying off our debt was part of His plan for us, what I realize now is that He was after our hearts, our obedience. In that process, He continued to teach us more about Himself, and I have felt His kindness and His discipline in immeasurable ways.

He stayed right there with us, every step of the way, with every frustration and every celebration. 

He is so faithful. He is SO faithful.