devotion

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that prevails.  -Proverbs 19:21

I remember getting the phone call from my husband one spring afternoon. He was so excited because he finally got the promotion he had spent nearly eight years working to get. I was excited until I found out we would have to uproot our family and move out of state. We had just finished renovating our home and loved our community. My youngest son was in middle school and had a close network of friends he had known since preschool. We planned to stay in this community until we were of retirement age. However, as many of us have experienced, our personal agendas and plans often take a backseat to the Lord’s purpose.

After hours of discussion and prayer, my husband and I reached to the conclusion we needed to accept this new direction in our lives. Exciting on one hand, but gut wrenching on the other. The sadness I felt about leaving our family, church and friends was nothing compared to the upset our teen felt about leaving behind his school, friends, and his biological father. My sadness was soon replaced with the chaotic hustle that accompanies a stressful move. Because my husband had to leave right away to his new location, I was left to do… well it felt like everything from getting our home ready and on the market for sale, getting us packed, packing up my classroom, looking for a new job- and the list went on and on. It was at this point I felt like a piece of burlap coming unraveled at the ends.  Have you ever been in such a fragile place that it felt like your life was unraveling; and if one more demand was placed on you, or one more thing went wrong you’d come completely undone? I was coming undone, and all I could do was cry out, “Lord, if this is your will, then I need your help because I can’t do this alone.”

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles- Psalm 34:17

And deliver is exactly what He did. God grabbed all the loose strings and started weaving them together using new loving relationships that would support me in my struggle when I felt alone and overwhelmed. Soon we found ourselves in another state, making connections in another community, and building new friendships. It seemed as if God’s love appeared in everyone we met in our neighborhood, our workplace, my son’s school, our new church, and throughout the community.

While I feel moving was the right thing for our family, it certainly hasn’t been all roses and rainbows. My faith has been challenged by the peaks and valleys of this move and caused me to have an even deeper reliance on God than I once had.  This was especially true when we battled through the resistance from my ex-husband, who understandably did not want his son leaving the state (that’s an amazing faith-filled story for another time).  In addition to my ex-husband’s resistance, we struggled with how to help our teen adjust to his new surroundings and manage the depression and anxiety that can sometimes be triggered by a life change such as our move. However, throughout the storms, our continued reliance and trust in the Lord’s plan for our family brought us closer to God and to one another.

Looking back, we had no idea what God had in store for us, but we chose to trust Him and now realize that His plans for us were greater than anything we had imagined. Since the move, all our lives have been enriched in one way or another. For example, God answered my husband’s prayers by blessing him with a new position that allows him to have a greater impact on those he mentors, as well as provides him with the flexibility to enjoy more time with our family and to worship. My son has been blessed with new adults in his life to guide him on the right path. He has also been provided with new opportunities to take his athletic skills to the next level. I’ve been given the opportunity to share my story and inspire others to seek out God and all He has planned for their lives. In addition to these blessings, God blessed our strained relationship with my ex-husband and his wife and transformed it into a loving, healthy friendship that continues to thrive.

Had we allowed our fear of change and the unknown to govern our decision and not move, we ALL would have missed out on God’s abundant blessings.  The fears were certainly present, but our trust in God was bigger than our fears. When we took that leap of faith, God supported us. He opened new doors of opportunity and used all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). He turned our struggles from the move into triumphs, and is using our story for His greater purpose of shaping the lives of others. He wants to do the same for you. All you have to do is invite Him into your heart and ask Him to reveal His purpose for your life. The more you rely on Him, the deeper your trust will take root. He will provide you with all you need to achieve the purpose in which He created you for, you just have to trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer

Almighty God, we thank you for creating us each with a specific purpose in mind. Remind us that we don’t have to go through life on our own, struggling to keep it all together.  When we rely on you, we are filled with immeasurable peace and strength to accomplish your will. By trusting your direction over our lives, we are able to carry out our purpose for your glory and live the life you created for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.