Falling Apart or Falling in Place?

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

The past few weeks have been tough! As we were approaching 2013, I was feeling worn down and beginning to feel hopeless on our journey. I was growing fearful of the lack of clear direction for our future. It simply felt like things were falling apart with no hope in sight. I saw this image on Facebook and started wondering if this was what was actually going on in our life.

My husband and I found ourselves at a crossroads. We had an opportunity to rent (after short selling our home), month by month, a cute little brick house down by the university (very back to basics and in need of lots of TLC…no dishwasher, a dryer outside in the shed, etc.), and my husband was contemplating a major career change that would require even more schooling at the university and possibly incurring school loan debt. My, oh, my!

We have been praying for direction, and it seems that things are falling into place…just not what we were thinking. So, is this God's will? Are we being hasty and impatient; are we not trusting in God; are we losing our focus; or is God leading us on this very path? We trust in our LORD, and are at peace because our focus is on following His lead.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

Unfortunately my husband's doctorate in education does not seem to be helping his career move forward…is there a reason for that? Does God want him in that field? Or, has He put these plans on my husband's heart and made them his desire for the very reason of change?

I can tell you this, a year ago I never would have imagined, as a public school teacher of 13 years, that I would be a homeschooling mom who has now completely turned her back on government education, and in fact find it unbiblical (yup, I finally said it--sorry if I offended anyone, but scripture clearly puts the education of children in the hands of the parents, not of the government…oops, getting off topic). So, is it really that surprising that our LORD would continue to lead us in a direction we had not anticipated? I guess not…

As we move forward in this new year, following His lead, we will draw strength and take refuge in our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 

May you, too, find peace and strength in our LORD. Happy New Year!