Darkness Does Not Prevail: Trusting God When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned

What if trusting God doesn’t mean knowing everything will turn out the way you want—but believing He will be with you no matter what happens?Episode SummaryHow do you keep trusting God when life changes in an instant?Wendy Keating knows what it means to walk through unimaginable hardship. While still grieving the deaths of her husband and sister and recovering from major surgeries, Wendy stepped into a small hole in her backyard. What seemed like a minor injury eventually led to multiple surgeries and the devastating news that her leg would need to be amputated.Yet when Wendy received that news, she experienced something she didn’t expect: peace. She believed God had either allowed this to happen or had a purpose in it—and she trusted that somehow He would bring blessing from what she was facing.In this powerful conversation, Wendy and Willow talk about what it actually looks like to trust God when circumstances are painful and completely outside of our control. Wendy shares the very real challenges of learning to live independently after losing her leg—from navigating her home in a wheelchair to figuring out how to cook, clean, climb stairs, and accomplish everyday tasks in entirely new ways.But Wendy’s story isn’t about pretending hardship is easy. She experienced frustration, loneliness, depression, and moments when she needed help. What carried her was a deep trust that God was still present and the love of friends and family who surrounded her when she couldn’t do everything on her own.Wendy also shares how a pivotal moment years earlier prepared her for this season. When her daughter was critically ill, Wendy had to decide whether she could truly surrender the outcome to God—even if His answer wasn’t the one she desperately wanted. That decision became a turning point in her faith and taught her what it means to trust God with the story He is writing.If you’re walking through a season you never would have chosen, Wendy’s story is a beautiful reminder that the darkness doesn’t get the final word. We can choose to keep moving, receive the love God sends through others, and trust Him one day at a time.Meet Wendy KeatingWendy Keating is a mom, grandma, great-grandma, former kindergarten teacher, and former Commissioner of Labor for the state of Montana. She’s also a lifelong fighter whose faith, resilience, humor, and determination have carried her through incredible loss and unexpected hardship.After losing her leg, Wendy has had to relearn how to navigate much of everyday life—but she refuses to let what she has lost define what she believes is still possible.Key TakeawaysWhen you don’t know what comes next: Trusting God doesn’t require knowing the outcome. Wendy shares how surrendering what she couldn’t control gave her freedom from constantly fearing what might happen.When your circumstances have completely changed: Start with acceptance. You may not be able to change what happened, but you can begin discovering how to live within what is true today.When you’re tempted to isolate: Let people love you. Wendy learned that receiving help isn’t weakness—it can be one of the ways we experience God’s love.When someone you love is hurting: Show up. Bring dinner, call, visit, send a card, or offer practical help. Small acts can communicate tremendous love.When something feels impossible: Focus on what you can do and take the next step—even if you have to find an entirely different way to get there.When you’re waiting for circumstances to improve: Remember that hardship is a season. Wendy held onto the belief that even the worst moments would not last forever.When independence keeps you from receiving: Allow others the joy of helping you. God’s love often comes to us through the people He places around us.How This Episode Will Encourage YouWendy’s story isn’t an invitation to pretend everything is okay when it isn’t. It’s an invitation to believe that hard circumstances don’t have to steal your hope.You can grieve what you’ve lost and still believe something good lies ahead. You can feel frustrated and still take the next step. You can need help and still be strong. And you can surrender what you cannot control while trusting that God is still writing your story.As Wendy says, trusting God is a choice. Sometimes we have to decide again and again: “I trusted You. I’m going to trust You.”Collide BookFollow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook💑Check out Collide’s website for info on upcoming conferences, events, and resources.📲Follow Collide on Facebook and Instagram for encouragement, inspo and a fun peek into our ministry.📰Plus, subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things Collide!