God's Will Be Done

In 2008 my husband separated from the air force. As he prepared to do so he applied to the FAA. He looked at his options of places to go and I remember him bringing up going to Detroit. He felt that it was a possibly good idea. I remember being so adamantly against this idea. I thought it was horrible and dangerous and crazy! Plus, I wanted him to apply out west, so I could be close to my family for the first time since he'd joined the air force. Instead, he applied to Kentucky, with the hopes of getting a job in Cincinnati. It would've been a very easy move since we were in Dayton at the time. He had a friend who worked in Cincinnati and had checked out the facility and felt he had a good chance of going there. Instead, he got Lexington. He decided right away, that he would be applying else where in 3 years, when he was able to. So for the next 3 years, God blessed us where we were. But where were we?

The other night, while driving to church, my girls and I were talking about how, on Sunday, our pastor told a story about how his wife hadn't wanted to move out here either. It made us laugh because, that's how I was. But his wife prayed about it and God opened her heart, because this is where He wanted them to be. I on the other hand did not pray about it, when my husband brought up the idea. Was it possible that we had not been where He truly wanted us to be?

Fast forward to 2010 and my husband began looking at job openings, to transfer. Detroit was open and so was Boise, Idaho. I had been all about moving back to the Boise area or to Portland ever since we had moved away, 10 years before, unless of course my husband wanted to go overseas. My husband applied to both. Boise for me and Detroit, because really it was a better career choice for him. I still, very desperately wanted to move closer to "home" and to my family, because I hardly ever see them. However, this time, I began to pray wholeheartedly. I prayed for God's will, above mine and my husband's, be done. I prayed that He would bring us to the same conclusion and on to the same page. I prayed for Him to open our hearts to whatever direction He wanted us to go in and to soften our hearts. Lexington wasn't ready to let him go for another year, but sometimes it takes a while to line up a transfer, which is why my husband started looking and applying when he did. Boise was interested in him, but they didn't want to wait that long for him. Detroit on the other hand was more than happy to wait for his skills and talents. In 2011, God shut the door on Boise and opened wide the door to Detroit. Everything fell into place for us, although the house was a last minute thing that had us a little worried. 

The interesting thing to me, when my daughters and I were talking, were some of the details. The house we live in now was a foreclosure back in 2008, which means, the possibility stands that, we still could've had this house. And thinking about it, if my husband had gotten a job in Detroit back in 2008, we'd have quite a bit less debt than we do now. As I thought about these things and how some of the things God blessed us with when we did, eventually, come to this area, He could've blessed us with sooner, had I had a more prayerful and open heart. Does that mean He would've? Not necessarily. But what if God had wanted us here back then, and instead we ended up on a detour because my heart was so closed to His will and direction? God blessed us abundantly when we were in Kentucky, and I'm thankful for our time there. It was just interesting to me to think, that like the Israelites who ended up wandering the wilderness for 40 years before entering the promised land, I too took a detour. I took the longer road, to get to where God was trying to put me, because of my disobedience and lack of faith and trust in God and His plans. I shared this thought with my daughters along with the reminder to "pray about everything!"

I can't change the past or the choices I've made, but I'm thankful that God has touched my heart, grown me, and changed me in the ways the He has.