Chapter The Next

Well, I'm here. On my own in my first apartment. A new chapter in life. My very own set of ceramic bowls and plates--blue. They didn't have purple. My first printer. Still in the box. Much unpacking to do tomorrow.

A big thank you to Mom and Dad for helping me get moved and settled in. And thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. It means a lot to me.

I should be starting work as a meteorologist soon. Getting to this point has been a bit of an adventure. In more ways than one. Both on the job front and in life. To think...my first post on this blog was one year minus thirty days ago. Between then and now, we've been where the dinosaurs roam. Tasted surrender. Just one step after another. Reflected on the little things of life. Played in the land of square men. These are our journeys. Still the chase goes on.

I believe that God calls us to be faithful where we are at. And well...I'm here.

"Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15 ESV)

Our Journeys

Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.
(Exodus 40:36-37 ESV)

I don't like change. At least not when I don't have control. I like to hold onto the past.

I lived in the same city for almost 16 years (the same house for 11 years). Then we moved...to a different state. It was exciting, especially as we saw God's plan unfold. But there were things I was leaving behind that I didn't want to let go of. Good things. Like the little Baptist church we attended. The pastor there taught me Hebrew one on one--at no cost. He freely gave his time to teach me. I still miss him from time to time. He has since moved on to a different church.

Our first year in Texas was amazing. We were adopted into the congregation--really, family. We didn't just meet on Sabbath. We got together to play cards, do work, etc. throughout the week. Then I was uprooted from there and taken to college...in a different state. I still miss those times.

I don't like change. I don't like being uprooted after finally getting settled in. I don't like leaving friends and family behind. Going out into the unknown, where I know no one...leaving my comfort zone behind. It's scary. Sometimes I wish I could just stay put and that everything would stay the same. Life is good now, why change it?

But sometimes the cloud moves...and we must follow. It takes us into uncharted territory. Transitioning is often hard. But our Father is in control. Ahead lie greater things...eventually the promised land. This is not our home. When we get settled into a place, it's hard to accept that. But it's a fact--this is not our home. It is simply a stop along the way to where God is taking us. Some steps are hard. Often times we want to look back. Often times we wish we could go back to where the trail was easier. Yet, if I truly consider what it would mean to go back I realize I would have missed out on a lot. It was when I started college that I met one of my best friends--who then proceeded to introduce me to several more now close friends. If I rewound the tape, I would have missed out on all those friends. When we moved to Texas, I found what it was like to have a congregational family. If we never moved out there, I would have missed that.

Change is hard. But sometimes its necessary. And God often has something great waiting on the other side. I still don't like giving up what I have to follow Him. But it helps a little to know that my Father in heaven is watching out for me--and He has a plan. Wherever He leads, I must follow.

(originally posted on facebook on July 30, 2011)