Part IV of IV
Click here for Part I of IV.
Click here for Part II of IV.
Click here for Part III of IV.
With a new job, a new home, and an imminent sale, it was time to pack the truck and be on our way. Weeks earlier, we’d asked the local U-Haul operator to reserve a truck for us, but we didn’t expect we’d get one of the new ones sitting on her lot. She insisted she would save one for us and that we needn’t even put down a deposit for it—in fact, she wasn’t equipped to accept one.
I was anxious about handling a loose and heavily loaded truck on precarious roads, around low bridges and canopies, and through just about anything else my mind could imagine—and imagine it did! When I picked up the truck a few days before the closing, to my amazement and as promised, we received a brand-new truck. A new truck would certainly help allay some fears.
We were also concerned about loading this truck ourselves, and wondered what help we might muster on such short notice. There was no need to worry. We found the help we needed—no more, no less—and exactly the right kind of help. (And thank you! You know who you are.) We even had someone who knew how to tie down the load. All we had to do was drive the truck to Tennessee, untie the knots, and find someone who could help us unload. By the way, the contents fit snugly inside the truck, the truck didn’t tip over or run out of control down hills, and the load did not shift one iota—despite the potentially disastrous scenarios that my mind had concocted. Our new neighbors even helped us unload!
Big decisions are often affirmed in a variety of ways. The relative ease and speed with which we transitioned spoke loudly to us. When we crossed into Tennessee and saw the welcome sign to the “volunteer state,” we knew we had come to the right place with our volunteer efforts! It was another heaven-sent tidbit to bolster our confidence as we ventured deeper into unfamiliar territory.
Two days after arriving in our new home, an event with impeccable timing brought about yet another unusual blessing with happenstance too improbable to fathom. My hometown pastor and his wife, who lived in “another world” 1,500 miles away, just happened to be “in town” to marry off their son. Debbie and I attended the wedding and celebrated their good news even while sharing our own with them.
As it turns out, an administrative detail in Debbie’s hiring process became a blessing in disguise. She’d been told shortly after interviewing that she’d been recommended for the position. However, the central office found a problem in transferring her teaching certification to Tennessee and rejected her application. What seemed like a cruel twist of fate allowed us to unpack and settle into our new home together without the encumbrance of a new job in a new location. To become certified, Debbie studied for a difficult praxis exam even while school had already begun. She aced the test a month later. Shortly thereafter, she was invited to join the school’s staff. When she arrived on her first day, her principal greeted her warmly with a hug and said, “We knew you were the right candidate all along!” Life was—and is–good.
To top it off, on our second week in Tennessee, Debbie ran into and introduced herself to the founder and CEO of findingbalance.com, an organization that partners with TheHopeLine for follow-up with young women with eating disorders. Years earlier, volunteering for this organization was a mere fantasy for Debbie. Now, it is a reality!
If you’ve been considering a big move of any kind in your life, taking the first step toward it will tell you much about whether God has ordained your pursuit. He may simply be waiting for you to take that first big step of faith. Your strong urge may be the seed to a greater calling. Embrace the challenge, and enjoy the ride! Rest assured you will experience great joy as you venture forth, and you will grow in confidence and faith. You may be faced with a more uncertain future, but then again, they’re all uncertain—even the ones you face from your comfort zone or in your own land of limbo.