In the last year, I have learned that life with Jesus can sometimes feel like a roller coaster, but you have to be willing to get on the ride, or you will miss the best parts.
Brian and I have been committed to getting on the ride, and since last November, there have been times of excitement and times of great disappointment, times when we were sure about what God was doing, and times that we were very confused. But I wouldn’t change it, because Jesus is on the ride too, and that’s the only place I want to be!
A year ago, there started to be some talk in Brian’s work group about sending us to Australia in the Spring of 2015. I was very excited about the possible adventure that would be for our family. My list-making, always-be-prepared, organized self wanted to start making plans right away, but I felt God calling me to always be present in where He has us today. So, I resisted as much as possible until we got the final word. And several months later, the final word came, or at least what we thought was the final word. So, with eagerness and excitement about what lay ahead, I began de-committing from several volunteer activities, I quit my job, and I starting making my lists.
Then things changed. Oil prices dropped and the Australia project was put on hold. We weren’t moving after all. We were so disappointed, and confused. Why would God set us up with such excitement and anticipation just to take it all away? What was He doing? I felt lost for a while, but then I again felt God calling me to be present in where He has us today. So we decided to go ahead and grow our roots in Houston a little deeper, since we obviously weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. We started a new study with our small group and invited several new couples, we continued our work in the KidZone, I began volunteering with Young Lives and re-committed to Carenet, and Brian decided it was finally time to start playing the drums with the worship band. We felt good. We were committed to being where God had us, and although we were still disappointed about not going to Australia, we knew that God had a purpose in all of it.
Then, a couple of months later, Brian asked me what I thought about moving to Bakersfield. And my response was “Are you kidding me!?!?” I turned to God and asked “What are you doing?” But the real question for me was “Are you going to get on the roller coaster ride or not?” So, now we are moving to Bakersfield. And again, we are excited. Not because Bakersfield is a beautiful, adventurous place (not hardly!), but because we know that God has a ministry purpose for us there, and we are committed to keeping our minds and hearts open to the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
John 10:10 says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” For my family, that means that sometimes we will feel so full of life and love, surrounded by friends and community, thankful for our many blessings, and other times God will pick us up and put us in the middle of a dry dusty oil field where we don’t know a soul, where we will start over making a new community, where we will face periods of loneliness and longing but continue to be thankful for God’s blessings. It’s all part of the roller coaster ride. And we will stay on this ride so we can experience the best parts!
