I thought the whole thing rested on me—my plans, my abilities, my choices.

And now, looking back through a very different lens, I can finally see how wrong I was.

Because through every good decision and every foolish one… through every broken relationship, every new beginning, every mile traveled, every close call, every failure, every blessing, and every moment where I thought I had wrecked my life beyond repair—God was there.

Not waiting for me to get my act together.

Not standing off in the distance, shaking His head.

He was there the whole time—patiently watching over a hardheaded man who spent most of his life searching for purpose in just about everything except Him.

That’s what this story really is.

Not the story of a good man.

Not the story of constant success.

And certainly not the story of somebody who had life figured out.

It’s the story of a man who spent years running in circles before finally realizing the Lord had been walking beside him all along.