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There are moments in life that divide your story into two parts: before and after.

For me, one of those moments happened when my daughter was admitted to the ICU just one month before her first birthday.

Nothing prepares you for watching your child fight for her life. Nothing prepares you for the questions, the fear, or the helplessness that comes from not knowing if you will bring your baby home. The doctors did their best, but even they struggled to stay positive. Day after day, we sat beside her hospital bed, praying prayers that felt too heavy for words.

In those moments, all I could do was cling to God.

I wish I could say that was the only storm our family faced, but it was only one chapter in a much longer journey.

My husband suffered a serious back injury at work that changed the course of our lives. What should have been a normal workday became the beginning of years filled with doctor appointments, uncertainty, and pain. Overnight, our family dynamics shifted, and I became the sole provider for more than two years.

There were nights when I lay awake wondering how we would pay our bills. There were moments when I truly did not know how I would put food on the table. The weight of providing, parenting, and trying to hold everything together felt overwhelming.

I have learned that financial hardship is about more than money. It touches your confidence, your peace, and sometimes even your faith. The enemy loves to whisper that God has forgotten you when your circumstances don’t improve as quickly as you hoped.

But God never forgot us.

Looking back now, I can see His fingerprints everywhere.

He was in the meals that appeared when we needed them most. He was in the people who prayed for us when we didn’t have the strength to pray ourselves. He was in the provision that came at exactly the right moment, even when it looked different from what we expected.

Most importantly, He was with us in the waiting.

So often, we want God to remove the storm. We pray for immediate healing, immediate provision, and immediate answers. Sometimes He does exactly that. Other times, He walks with us through the storm and teaches us to trust Him in deeper ways than we ever thought possible.

My faith today is not built on an easy life or a perfect testimony. It is built on the faithfulness of a God who stayed.

He stayed in the ICU room.

He stayed through the financial struggles.

He stayed through the uncertainty, the exhaustion, and the tears.

He stayed when I had questions and when I had none.

The truth is, God was never my backup plan. He was never the last resort after every other option had failed. He was always the answer.

Not because He made every hardship disappear overnight, but because His presence sustained us through every single one.

If you are walking through your own difficult season, I want you to know this: your story is not over. The chapter you are in right now is not the end. God sees you, He knows your needs, and He has not abandoned you.

Sometimes, when God is all you have, you discover that He is all you truly need.

And that changes everything.

Hannah Kuykendall is a teacher, children’s ministry coordinator, and author of She Builds Her Home, a memoir inspired by Proverbs 14:1. She shares encouragement, faith, and everyday life on TikTok at @thehannahunfiltered.