Thank You & Amen - Personal blog of Trisha Rapley, Australian Author.

There was a time when I believed my love life followed a pattern I could not escape.

That was what I had known was what I would continue to know.

That the endings, the lessons, the ache, and the longing were evidence of something fixed—a story already written.

But God has been teaching me something different.

My past does not get to decide my future. It only gets to inform it. And even that wisdom, I now see, was never wasted in God’s hands.

Every love I have known—every connection that bloomed briefly or lingered deeply, every moment of closeness, distance, joy, or disappointment—was held by God even when I did not understand it. None of it was random. None of it fell outside His care.

He used each experience to shape my heart, not into someone guarded or hardened, but into someone more aware, more discerning, more capable of loving well.

Through prayer, reflection, and quiet surrender, I have begun to see what God has been refining in me.

What I need.

What I offer.

Where I once compromised myself and where He now calls me to stand more firmly in truth.

The future does not have to mirror the past simply because it once did. God does not repeat lessons unnecessarily. He invites growth.

And I am allowed—fully allowed—to choose differently, to trust His guidance as I create a new reality for my life and my heart.

I am learning to love with intention, to wait with faith, to move with discernment instead of fear. To allow connection to unfold under God’s timing, not my anxiety.

There is beauty in the experiences I have lived through. Even the ones that hurt. Especially the ones that brought me to my knees in prayer.

They taught me to rely on God instead of romantic certainty. They taught me that love without peace is not the love God asks me to hold onto. They taught me that connection should feel safe, anchored, and aligned with the person God is shaping me to be.

The connections I form now—and the ones still ahead of me—will be different, because I am different. I am no longer searching for love from a place of emptiness. I am allowing God to meet me in my wholeness and guide those who are invited into that space.

The future I am building with Him is one where love is patient, communication is honest, affection is steady, and effort is mutual—not because I demand it, but because God no longer asks me to settle for less.

I do not need to erase my past to step into what God is preparing. My past is part of my testimony. It carries lessons He entrusted me with, not wounds meant to define me.

When I look back now, I do not see failure.

I see preparation.

I see a God who was shaping my discernment, strengthening my boundaries, and teaching my heart how to love without losing itself.

My story is not behind me—it is still unfolding under the care of a God who sees the beginning and the end, and the love that finds me next will not be a continuation of old patterns, but a reflection of healing, faith, and trust in God’s leading.

That is not wishful thinking.

That is surrender.

That is hope anchored in God’s faithfulness.

That is the quiet confidence of knowing I am allowed to begin again—hand in hand with Him—wiser, softer, and ready for a love that meets me exactly where He has led me to be.

Thank You & Amen - Personal blog of Trisha Rapley, Australian Author.

Thank You & Amen - Personal blog of Trisha Rapley, Australian Author.