Here I Raise My Ebenezer

I decided to take a break from writing last week, so to those who are reading now, thank you!

I tried to keep all my posts really concise before because I thought that'd be more digestible. But since I'm not advertising my blog at the moment, I'm going to write a bit more "freely". So this one might be a bit long, so before that, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you!

What would you say were the best "eras" of your life? I was recently discussing this and realized that it was difficult to answer because the hard seasons I went through stands out so much.

Elementary School: Pretty much anything involving school brings up negative memories, but especially in these early years, I really struggled. I nearly flunked in 6th grade and remember being sad and angry at home a lot. My parents divorced around 3rd grade.

Middle School: Still struggling with school, though not as badly. Began wrestling with identity and figuring out who my friends were.

High School: School finally started to "click". Unfortunately, my competitive High School environment pushed me hard. I loaded up on honors and AP classes and pulled more than a few all-nighters.

College: What stands out is a sense of underachievement. I could never get the grades I wanted and realized I didn't like my major (Mechanical Engineering). I forced my way through upper divs just to graduate.

Post-grad: CS bootcamp. 3 years of unemployment. Torn ATFL left me in constant ankle pain. Worked at Starbucks. Felt inadequate. Eventually went to grad school for CS, which came with its own frustrations. Long-distance relationship was hard.

First/Second Job: Maybe this was my favorite era. It was exciting to finally be a “real” employee. Lots of free time outside of work with friends, church, and family. Even during COVID, I felt content.

Family building - Now: So much time and attention has been devoted to family. See my post here for more details!

As I thought about all the challenges I've gone through, I was reminded of the idea of an Ebenezer. You might recognize the word from the song "Come Thou Fount", but if you didn't know, Ebenezer means "stone of help". When God led the Israelites to victory over their enemies, Samuel would erect an Ebenezer as a reminder of God's power and protection.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, "Till now the Lord has helped us."

-1 Samuel 7:12

Like the Israelites, it's easy for us to grumble about our trials and overlook all the ways that God has helped us to where we are today. As I sit here writing this, I can recall many good things in my life.

Elementary School: All my closest friends lived on the same street as me so we got to play together all the time. My parents' divorce also is what brought me and my mom to church.

Middle School: Though I struggled with identity, this is when I started attending youth group. My youth counselors patiently answered my many questions about life and faith.

High School: I met many of the friends that I still keep in touch with today. I can't imagine going through high school without them.

College: Academically it was rough, but when I think deeper, my days were really joyful. God also placed me in a great church community, including my eventual wife.

Post-grad: Though I was unemployed for so long, I'm very thankful for that season. It gave me perspective on how my value is not in my career, but in my faithfulness to God. Also, He eventually led me to a podiatrist who helped heal my ankle.

Family Building - Now: It's still challenging, but I've learned to appreciate the relationship building that goes with raising a family. I'm thankful to God for my beautiful family.

Maybe I need to put up some Ebenezers around my house to remind me of all the ways God has helped me, and maybe you should too!

What "Ebenezers" could you put up in your life?