The story that I’m going to share with you is very personal. It is the last 9 months of my family’s story..It is a story of God’s goodness. It is a LONG story, so I’m breaking it up into a few posts.
We had been praying and searching for a new job for Jonathan for years, but most diligently since the beginning of 2013. It is not that we were not super thankful for the provision of the job he had, but Jonathan has always had a passion for leadership and for him that piece was missing. Jonathan is a dreamer and a visionary. I am more of a realist and a planner, with an inner dreamer who has been showing her face more often recently. Many conversations early in our relationship went something like this:
Beth: “So what DO you want to do with your life? Explain it to me again.” (For the 50th time)
Jonathan: “I want to lead and inspire people.”
Beth: “Ooooookay. So how are you going to do that, what does the career path look like, what is the PLAN?”
Jonathan: Says lots of words and explains the best he can, to a planner, what his abstract version of a plan looks like. Beth starts to get nervous and in the end all she hears is “Trust God”.
AHHHHHHH Trust and adventure is so scary and yet so exciting and freeing that the dreamer in me wins out every time. (Okay, the dreamer wins almost every time after long and tiring wrestling matches with the realist in my head.)
Jonathan completed his Master’s degree in communication and leadership in March 2013 and we were seeking God for whatever shift in career He was going to bring. One clarification: "seeking God" does not mean that we only sat around praying and waiting for "God to move" (though we did do a lot of praying). Seeking God often means that we actively pursue something and make sure to listen to God in the process. Jonathan (and I) spent HOURS job searching, making phone calls, and networking. Jonathan would call me up: "Hey babe, I just talked to this guy in Charlottesville who is starting this (insert creative business idea), I'm going to meet up with him next week to talk more." I got similar phone calls from him ALL THE TIME. To say I am proud of how hard my husband works is an understatement.
I remember the day that the COO of Family Insight asked Jonathan if he would be like to accept a director position at their counseling site in Manasass, VA. Manassas? Really? This was a place far from my first choice of locations. I remember asking God “why”. Why had He orchestrated this at a time when I was finally feeling so connected to my church, work and community? Yet, even in the midst of all of my emotions and feelings; even though I didn't understand “why”; I knew that God was directing us towards this job.
Jonathan did accept the position, which was set to begin three weeks later. Thus began the planning and seeking the Lord for HOW in the world we were going to make this transition. After walking with Jesus for most of my life, it is my profound belief that when He asks you to do something big, something crazy, something scary… He will demonstrate His control over the situation in the form of events that can only be described as miraculous. Merriam-Webster: Miracle - an unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God.
Miracle #1
The first item on the agenda was to find a temporary place for Jonathan to live in Manassas. We knew that we needed time to figure out what we were going to do with our town home in Harrisonburg before we moved the whole family. Also, I had agreed to finish out the semester at Blue Ridge Christian School, which meant I would be teaching until the middle of January. We needed a place for Jonathan quickly and a place that would be fairly inexpensive. My hope for the amount of his additional rent was on the verge of impossible.
That was when we received our first miracle. It was also our first confirmation that we had heard correctly from the Lord. When Jonathan accepted the position, we had no idea that my Great Aunt and Uncle owned a house in Manassas. The house was rented, but had a basement apartment that they would sometimes rent separately for short term leases to family members. They offered Jonathan the basement apartment with month to month rent, giving us time to sell or lease our town-home in Harrisonburg and find more permanent housing in the Manassas area. We were very excited and then we looked up the location of the property to see its distance from his office. We were blown away. The house was literally three miles away from his office. THREE MILES! With barely any commute he could work late and still get home at a decent time. Oh, and their requested rent met my impossible hope.
Trust God.
Doesn't it seem like a simple concept? If He truly is so much bigger than anything we could imagine and if He loves us… it should be easy to trust. It’s not. But when you choose trust over doubt, God comes through, every time. Trust requires bravery. It also requires that you KNOW the one who you are trusting. It requires spending time with that person. God can’t describe to you all the places that He wants to take you, because most likely you wouldn't believe Him. He asks you to come with Him. And I can honestly say that everywhere I've chosen to go and every time I've chosen to follow, that’s where I end up wanting to stay.