TESTIMONY TIME!
I would like to share one of the many testimonies I have personally experienced through Kate’s friendship and obedience to the Lord.
I am a pastor’s wife in the Atlanta area. Several years ago, I went through a period of severe burnout and eventually reached a breaking point. I was exhausted in every way-emotionally. mentally, physically, and spiritually. Yet because of pride, I told no one what I was experiencing. I didn’t even tell Kate.
As someone from a strong faith background, and who believes in walking by faith, I felt pressure to present myself as though everything was fine. I wanted others to see me as strong and full of faith in every area of my life. I believed I needed to keep smiling , keep serving, and keep saying the right things to others, even as I was falling apart inside.
That was and is a dangerous place to be.
We need one another. When we remain silent about our struggles, we shut out the very people God may want to use to help us. Pretending to be okay doesn’t make us stronger; it often leaves us carrying struggles we were never meant to carry alone.
The pressure became so intense that I wanted to quit and walk away from everything. I didn’t feel as though I could keep going. One day, overwhelmed and desperate, I cried out to God for help.
I don’t recall how long it was after that prayer that this happened, but I know it was a very short amount of time that the phone rang.
It was Kate.
She told me that she had been praying for me and felt led to come stay at my house for a few days. She didn’t know everything I had been carrying, because I hadn’t told her. But God knew. He saw my pain, heard my cry, and spoke to a friend who knew how to listen to His voice.
The days that followed became deeply significant in my healing and restoration. Kate gave me room to be honest. She listened without judgment, prayed for me with compassion, and offered some of the sweetest and most thoughtful counsel I could have received.
She didn’t arrive with shallow answers or try to rush me through the pain. She simply made herself available - to me and to the Lord. Her presence reminded me that I was heard, loved, and not alone.
Those few days marked the beginning of a deep healing in my life. Little by little, the Lord restored my strength and renewed my joy in serving Him. He reminded me of the calling He placed on my life and showed me that exhaustion did not mean the calling was over. I needed rest, healing, and the loving support of someone who was willing to walk beside me.
Kate heard the voice of the Lord, and she obeyed. And I have seen her do that time and time again, in countless people lives and situations. Her obedience became part of God’s answer to my prayer.
I will never forget what she did for me, nor could I ever place a value on that kind of friendship. True friendship is a priceless gift. Even more than that, this experience showed me that Kate’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit flows from her deep and abiding love for God.
She knows His voice because she spends time with Him. She carries His Word because she has treasured it in her heart. She believes Him for miracles because she has experienced His faithfulness. And when He calls her to act, she responds.
Thank you, Kate, for your faithful, genuine, and consistent walk with the Lord. Thank you for loving His Word, cherishing His presence, believing His promises, and being willing to obey His voice. My life - and the lives of so many others - have been changed because of your faithfulness.
Tammy Boice
Woodland Church
