Cooped Up Confession: Abba, Father!

This beautiful gal's name is Kaity Ford. Once a working mama at a vet office, she is now a stay-at-home mom with three beautiful children; Kash 5, Tyelee 3 and Laska 7 months old! Kaity grew up in and around the Larkspur/Castle Rock area of Colorado. She was raised by her two parents and had a younger brother who would say, “she always was picking on me."  Since I know her so well now, I would have never guessed that Kaity, being the humble person she truly is, grew up in a household that got to experience the finer things in life.  This was called the “County lifestyle."  This included vacationing multiple times a year, tanning, shopping, getting your nails done, valet parking and expensive living.    Growing up Kaity and her dad were very close.  She teases that if her dad could have chosen a favorite kid, she would be it!  Together, they were able to do numerous things together, one of which was always attending sports events/banquets and church.  Although, Kaity did grow up in church she explains her experience there was simply "trying to uphold a polished image."  Back then attending church was more of a thing you just did every Sunday.  It was just a class you'd go to where there wasn't anything you could apply in your life.  She explained that it seemed less relevant to have a relationship with Jesus than it did to uphold that "Sunday church stature".   Her fragile faith began to crack when Kaity was only 8 years old and her dad was diagnosed with a cancer.  After fighting for eight years her father went into remission.  But the cancer returned and he soon passed away.

 We got to sit down with Kaity this last week and talk about a lot of different things in her life, including the good, the bad and how much God has grown her faith through all of it.  The one detail that highlighted itself through all of this was how God revealed Himself as her TRUE DADDY after she had lost her earthly father.  We really feel that is so important to point out to our readers.  We hope you enjoy getting to know Kaity and reading a small part of her testimony.   

Cooped Up: After your dad had died, what ways did you manage with you're grief? 

Kaity: A few years later after my dad died I had met my first husband and began to fill the void  of losing my dad with my husband.  I clung to him and he was my world.  As I look back on it, I realize that I made him an idol.  By doing this I never could fully give him or myself over to God. I held onto him so tight and couldn't release him to God because I thought that I might lose him after everything that happened with my dad. 

Cooped Up:  After your divorce and before you met your current husband, Nic, there were a lot of circumstances that took place in which you had the choice to give up or look to God and trust in Him.  At what point did you know that God was going to be the one you chose instead of giving up? 

Kaity: When I had to! (she laughs) I remember that exact moment. It was when I was sitting in a parking lot 6 months pregnant with my daughter and I had a two year old in the back. I had no house, no money and at that point I realized that all I have is God to lean on.  This is when I was fully able to give my all to God.

Cooped Up:   That had to take a lot of courage to be able to trust in something that you didn't really grow up having.  It's so awesome hearing how God can turn the bad things in this life into good if we only trust Him.

Kaity: Yes, I realized that I felt so entitled because of the way I grew up, that by losing everything was probably one of the best things that happened to me. I was so prideful before and I would have tried to do everything in my own will power that there was no way I would have ever trusted God fully without that experience in my life.

Cooped Up: So at this point you said you really had nothing, where did you go and what did you do?

Kaity: Luckily it was a Tuesday night in which my church at that point had Tuesday night services so I drove to the Cowboy Church. They put money in my hands that night because I had only $20 to my name.  I had met a couple who were little older than me and they were so sweet to me.  The husband went to his parents and told them about my situation and shortly after that, they volunteered their basement for me and my son to live in. 

Cooped Up: Was that weird moving into someone's house that you just barely met? 

Kaity: No, honestly from the moment I got there I was treated like I was their child. If it was family meals, pictures or events I was always included.

Cooped Up: Wow that's amazing for those people to have such a heart to invite you into their home and not just have you “live” there but have you be a valued, important member of their family. How did that bond between you guys start to take place?

Kaity: I remember the first week I was there and we sat down for dinner. We had like crab legs and steak. I had nothing and these people were feeding me this outrageous food. They were blessing me so much. Its like you almost feel like a slave to someone when they are blessing you with so much stuff and you can't repay them. I wanted to wash dishes, and clean the house because there was nothing that I could do to re-pay them. It was very similar to Gods unmerited favor.

Cooped Up: You told us that this reminded you of God's favor and God's character... how did God show you that character of Him through this family?

Kaity: By them doing this, it spoke so much to me about the character of God and how He takes you in as family. This family told me, "You eat what we eat, you do what we do." I had never fully felt that before. It was almost and instantaneous grafting in with this family.

Cooped Up: After this season of living with this family, you moved out on your own and God brought your future husband into your life, right?

Kaity: Yes, I did meet my “future husband” at that point. My adopted dad even checked him out to make sure he was “good enough” for me and gave us his blessing for our marriage.

Cooped Up: So obviously this relationship with your adopted family was there when you lived there and now that you're remarried how is that relationship now?

Kaity: It has continued on since I moved out and then got married. It's harder now because I have my own life and family to tend to, but we still have fun times together. We have “fight night” where we all will go over there and hang out and have fun. There is no difference in the relationship, but that it always keeps growing.

Cooped Up: When did you know that God is your ultimate father?

Kaity: It was very paralleled with how my adopted dad treated me while I was living there. He treated me with such respect, was protective over me and always had my back in everything. He treated me as if I was his own flesh and blood and that's how God is with us. It didn't matter that he didn't actually birth me, I was his kid. This is very similar to how my husband is now with my older two kids. To Nic, it didn't matter that they aren't his blood, they are his kids. That is truly the heart of God. It doesn't matter where you have been, what you've done, where you came from, you are His kid! That's where I learned what that Abba, father, daddy love was.  If it wasn't for him and his family, I wouldn't be where I am today and I thank them so much for that!  I will always love them.  I will always probably fight with my adopted brother for the rest of my life.  We get grumpy with each other but we always love each other because we are family. 

Cooped Up: Have you ever looked at this fatherly relationship and think, "what would my dad think of this?"

Kaity: At first I used to think that I couldn't have anyone else sit in this place because my dad was here and not he's not and that would be dishonoring to him. Now I look at it and know that my dad would rather I have someone like my adopted dad than be on my own.

What an amazing testimony of how God uses people to show us His love through people.  Although some of us may or may not have an earthly father, God is the ultimate father and through Him He places people in our lives to love us too.  God didn't just bless her with another earthly dad, but a whole entire family!  I can see just from knowing Kaity that she is forever thankful for what this family as a whole has done for her.  Through the birth of her second child while she was living there, the covering over her head, the meals, the photos, the fun and most of all the love is what I would say she is so grateful for.  In knowing these people I can truly say that not just one of them, but all of them show the love of Christ through them to everyone on a daily basis.  We need more people like this who have the heart of Jesus and would readily open themselves up for His Kingdom work.  Thank you for all you do daily and continue to do for His Kingdom and what you did for Kaity.  I pray that God blesses you abundantly for all that you give to others and that people would continue to see the light that He has placed inside of you all.  There is no greater gift than the gift of Jesus, and you all help administer that gift to people around you more than you will ever know. 

 Till next time, 

XOXO Cooped Up Cowboys Wife Kirste 

( Photo credits and thanks go to Nate and Liz Photography and Portraits.com , courtesy of Kaity Ford. )