Follow Your Calling.

At the end of December, my husband put his name in for a management position in Phoenix just to see if he'd get bites (after we talked to the kids about the idea, and they agreed it'd be "Sweet" to move to Arizona where the air is always warm). He was quickly snatched up and we decided that we'd make a HUGE leap and plan our 2014 around a move across the country. The plan was for him to go first, I'd start applying for jobs and then the kids and I would "eventually" follow.


So I started applying for jobs, but the whole time, my gut was sinking because I didn't want our family to be separated. I told my husband "I WILL get a job and we WILL go as a family."
I stacked up the job descriptions of the positions I'd applied for in the order in which (on paper) I'd like for them to be offered to me (because, you know, you get offered EVERY job you apply for, right? Wrong.) The one at the top was in a community we heavily researched and decided we'd like to live. Then I got a call...and the crazy began.

Simultaneously while my husband was looking for temporary housing, I was interviewing for positions - one of them being the one at the top of the stack. We started packing, because if he was leaving ahead of us, by golly I needed his help while I had this bum arm to get as much done as possible.  But I was still hesitating. Wondering. Feeling guilty for moving kids mid-school year. Guilty for leaving behind my parents and grandma. But all the while knowing it was the right thing, the best for our family, and a great opportunity to advance our careers - not to mention our culture.

Then we went to church last week as usual, and the message was about following your calling:



1 Peter 5:10

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

I sat and cried, not because I was sad or upset, but because I felt God was speaking directly to me, telling me that we needed to go. And that He would make our paths straight.

Two days later, by God's grace, I was offered the position in the #1 spot on my list, and through tears, accepted it, knowing that with that "YES!" we also get to move as a family! We are going house hunting this week and moving next week!

Every stepping stone has been laid in front of us just before we started to fall. At each difficult turn, we gave it to God. Then we kept hearing reinforcement - like finding out that our lease here was going to be ended because our owner wants to sell. We'd have been moving anyway - and this way, it's on OUR terms! Every single step - glory be to God. Following his calling - truly, I feel, for the first time - giving up control, giving it to Him, relying on his steady hand...and here we go!

The next two weeks are going to be INSANE. Trip to AZ, find a house, sign papers at work, fly home, 35th birthday (ack!), finish my job, pack the house, move 18 hours away (another trip there), set up new house, lead a fitness group, finish my grad school class, start a new job, start new schools, learn a new town, find new EVERYTHING (i.e.medical care, vet, grocery stores, pharmacies, hair salon...). I might be in for a nervous breakdown! But with God at the helm, I'm not worried. He'll lead me to a shrink, too.

--Addendum 2/10/14: We noticed leaking from our ceiling yesterday. Turns out the weight of the snow and ice from the last two storms is causing water to seep through the shingles and eaves. Today, much of our ceiling had to be cut through, the carpet in our daughter's room removed, and commercial grade fans set up. Our movers, simultaneously, called and wanted to move us up to the 17th. I thought "NO WAY!" But something led me to agree. This means we have ONE more night in our home - then we're en route to PHX, and upon returning, we load the truck and head back west. In the meantime, we are not liable for any damage to our home, or the mold that will inevitably build. And we don't have to sleep in dampness. We don't even have to spring for carpet cleaning because they're replacing carpet now. Seriously, our Father God is working in some crazy cool ways.

--Addendum 2/13/1: I also think it's the Guy upstairs who arranged our arrival on the same day as the pitchers and catchers report for the Royals to spring training just minutes away from our new community. #beroyalkc