Dear readers,

Today I’m excited to introduce you to Jena Fellers, who is a guest blogger this week. Jena recently released her helpful newest book, Illogical Faith in a Logical World . Here, she reflects on how her story of learning to trust God and how we can do the same.

—Jessica Brodie

By Jena Fellers

For retirement, we desired to live simpler and healthier lives than when pastoring for 25 years. Homesteading, here we come—almost!

Once our adult children knew we were serious, they wouldn’t let us move without them.

Okay, finding affordable, larger property to meet everyone’s individual needs is an obstacle, but is doable … with effort. Bingo! Done! Wait—what?

After signing our contract and turning financial papers in, we learned the seller forgot to disclose detrimental information. A windmill lease existed on the property stating nothing could be built—even growing a tree required their permission.

Devastated, and not knowing what to do, it was a “pull your hair out while you pray” day—maybe even a week or two! Nothing like watching your future go down the drain.

I might have been upset longer, but this wasn’t my first time feeling hopeless from hitting a brick wall.

You see, in college, I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, incurable, and progressive eye disease, resulting in tunnel vision and night blindness.

They informed me I was legally blind, even though my acuity was 20/50 in one eye and 20/80 in the other.

Puzzled, they quickly explained, “It’s due to your peripheral vision. Anything less than twenty degrees out of ninety is legally blind. Yours is fifteen.”

The doctors had no idea how long I’d be able to read or when I’d be totally blind.

Afraid, I questioned, “Would I be able to graduate? Teach? Live alone? Would a man marry me?”

My only options were to give up or give it to God.

Giving up wasn’t in my personality. When praying, I felt an inner peace to move forward. I trusted him to guide me in my unknown future—somehow, some way.

He did! One day at a time.

While I lost vision throughout college, God guided me, encouraged, and strengthened me. I not only graduated, but landed a job, found a house, and taught elementary special ed for three years.

I learned when truly trusting him in the unknown, he would equip me for whatever lie ahead, like working in social work with teenage male juvenile offenders before going on disability.

Trusting God again with the unknown, God led me to my knight in shining armor, who had custody of his teen children. Seven weeks later, we married. We had one child together that I homeschooled.

Then, God called us to pastor a small church. Having low vision, I resisted at first before surrendering. God showed me if I was a willing vessel, he would equip me to work through.

God enabled me to play the flute on our worship team, teach children of all ages weekly and Bible studies occasionally, preach, and pretty much fill-in anywhere needed. What a journey!

To prevent empty nest syndrome, I learned to write after 15 years of being unable to use a computer. Thanks to an affordable screen reader my husband discovered, I began blogging in 2015, not knowing if anyone would ever read my words or not.

The biggest step of faith I ever took was when my husband and I co-founded a feeding ministry where we relied totally on God for food resources, funds, and volunteers that served 1 million meals over a ten-year span.

It wasn’t our plan. God laid it on our hearts and confirmed it with a miracle. We had to obey.

He then expanded the ministry to glorify him—not us.

Maybe that’s why my sweet friends refer to me as someone who walks by faith, both physically and spiritually. Such an honor.

Now, I have been in several “Red Sea” moments and have been able to trust God and see miracles as a result. He has built my faith step by step. I want others to grow their faith to experience God in a new way during their hardship. To thrive; not survive.

That is why I wrote my newest release, Illogical Faith in a Logical World. In it, I guide readers through seven necessary steps for walking by faith and trusting God more than ever before. I break down an often-quoted but rarely lived to its fullest verse: Proverbs 3:5,6.

But first, I demonstrate the amount of trust and faith a blind person needs to walk using a cane or sighted guide.

With this book, and practice, anyone can walk by faith as easily as a blind person walks without sight. You can experience supernatural peace, joy, and strength while walking through your hard unknown.

Buying our property seemed impossible, but here we are three years later, camping in our “Promised Land” while building a homestead with our family. True freedom and peace!

The bank president said in his 35 years at that bank, he had never seen anyone get a lease rewritten.

Grateful, we testified, “God is big, and we’re thankful he chose to show favor upon us.”

That didn’t mean everything has been smooth since. It means we continue to trust a mighty God regardless of what we see. He has a plan for us.

He has a plan for you—a plan to trust. The benefits are out-of-this-world! 

Jena Fellers walks by faith, not by sight—both physically and spiritually. Diagnosed in college with a rare, progressive eye disease, she managed to graduate and teach elementary special education. After losing enough vision to go on disability, she married Steve Fellers. They have three children and four grandchildren. In Baxter Springs, Kansas, Steve and Jena pastored Trinity Worship Center for 25 years before retiring and moving to Oklahoma. For ten of those years, they also cofounded Word in Action Ministries, an outreach ministry to the poor that included free nightly hot meals, a food pantry, and a thrift store. As an author, inspirational speaker, pastor, and resilience coach, Jena loves to help others, teach, and share personal stories, especially about the miraculous ways she has witnessed God working in her life. Her passion is to educate, empower, and encourage others to follow Christ a little closer. She blogs at https://www.changingfocus.life. Her ebooks are housed in the blog’s shop, and her print books are on Amazon, including her newest, Illogical Faith in a Logical World.

If you know someone who would benefit from reading this blog, please share this with them: 

My novel Tangled Roots releases Oct. 6. If you’d like to help me launch it, email me and let me know!

Thanks to my Patreon sponsors: Matt Brodie, Emily Dodd, Jane, Marcia Hatcher, Frances Nwobi, Kathleen Patella, Billy Robinson, Yancy Rose, and Lanny Turner.

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