When Faith Is All You Have Left

My name is Taylor Lajiness, and I’ve walked through enough heartbreak to make most people lose faith — but somehow, Jesus has carried me through every storm. I’m not here to ask for pity. I’m here because I believe in the power of prayer, community, and love — and because I’ve seen firsthand that God still moves mountains.

My life changed forever in 2016 when I lost my first son, Emerson. He lived just two days before going home to Jesus because of complications from trisomy 18. Losing him broke me, but God used that unimaginable pain to free me from a domestically abusive relationship that had nearly destroyed me. I would have died trying to hold that home together, but instead, Jesus stepped in — and saved me.

Since then, I’ve faced loss after loss. My twin girls, Briley and Brooklyn, are just 14 years old, but they’ve already lost their father, who served with the 82nd Airborne Infantry. In 2020, I found my mom had passed away suddenly in our home. Then, in 2022, my youngest son, Maverick, lost his dad to suicide after battling a painful mental breakdown. There were nights I cried until there were no tears left, times I didn’t know how to get up in the morning — but every single time, when I thought I couldn’t go on, I felt God whisper,

“Keep going, Taylor. I’ve got you.”

In 2021, I moved my family 45 minutes from our hometown for a fresh start. I wanted peace — not perfection, just peace. We found a small place we’ve made into a home, filled with prayer and love. It’s not fancy, but it’s ours. And now, new management is forcing families out, raising rent, and renovating. I have no family here in Indiana. I don’t have a safety net or someone to call when things fall apart — but I still believe that the same God who got me this far isn’t going to leave me now.

I’m trying to raise $6,500 to clear fees and secure a new home for my children and me. Every dollar helps us hold onto hope. I know that what God asks us to give sometimes is simply the ability to see someone else’s struggle and help them stand when they’re weary. That’s what I’m praying for — hearts moved by His spirit, helping hands extended by love.

I may have lost so much, but I haven’t lost my faith. I believe with everything in me that brighter days are ahead — not because life has been easy, but because I know the One who brings beauty from ashes.

Thank you — for reading, for caring, for praying, and for believing that sometimes miracles come through people willing to show up for others. From the bottom of my soul: thank you for helping my family find our way home.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13