God allows change to change us. Change can be hard work whether good or bad. It requires us to look at who we are, where we are in life, and where we’re headed. My experience with change has been the catalyst to my growth as God uses it to provide a deeper understanding of his love and care for me. He has also used the changes in my life to humble me, transform my thinking and teach me to not fear the future. But to trust him for it.
Last summer I found a restlessness stirring in my soul as I asked myself this very question driving away from work. Reminded once again of the truth that things change. We change. Life changes.
We can try and fight the change or we can surrender to God trusting him for what’s next. The great thing is more times than not, the change is for our good. It is a necessary step into our growth and understanding of God and how much love he has for us. He warns us that in this world we will have troubles (John 16:33). And with that warning there is His great truth that He will never leave or forsake us.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
You see, in 2014 God moved me from the only place I’ve really ever known as home since a very little girl. Life was ebbing and flowing but not what I felt in my heart God had for me and my family. In only ways He can work, He worked me out of my job and home all the way to So Cal. (It was a job transfer and promotion) I welcomed this move as I was ready to find reprieve and get back to a place where I could hear His voice with less distraction. I needed time to renew my spirit and mind – A new beginning so to speak.
After years of praying for healing for my family – life was not getting much better. It certainly was not the vision God had given me years before.
So, off I went on a faith adventure with God but this time with no expectation. I only believed the move would allow more healing, and a new perspective on family and life.
Due to too many years of disappointment and dysfunction it was difficult to remember how a healthy family worked together in love and respect. I had been praying for God to renew my faith and give me new vision for family relationships. I was asking to see healthy loving husband and wife relationships. And hoping God would reveal the loyal relationships he had for me.
And yet, I found myself still on the battle field and growing weary. I was longing for what God gave Moses long ago. People who would hold my arms up until I had the strength to once again. (Exodus 17:11)
This is when God in all of his faithfulness took me to So Cal to provide the answers to those prayers. Here would be my reprieve and his next steps to “reteach” and “renew” my tainted thoughts after much loss. As the battle began to subside He Lovingly brought me a tribe from an Israel trip I took in 2015. Yes, a tribe of women to stand beside me in prayer, to bring authenticity & encouragement, and renew my faith in friendship. And just like God he began to bring healthy couples into my life to give me fresh perspective on his great design for husband/wife. And after separating my family by miles and in different directions He began a new work in us. Boundaries were put in place by all and we began to look at one another in a fresh way, and not at what the past had done to us.
So Cal was a reprieve from that battle zone as God continued his work in me! Answered prayer and transformation. Trying to leave past mistakes, disappointment and regret behind can be a daunting task if we don’t give it to God. But the beauty in letting go and trusting God in the change is what renews our strength. It allows God to plant fresh vision and new dreams.
With each blog I’m reminded once again of God’s faithfulness. It humbles me as it fills my heart with more gratitude for all he has done and continues to do in mine and my family’s lives. And because I know God is not finished with us yet I’m confident we will experience more change and faith adventures!
It’s my prayer as you experience change in life that you too will find him faithful! And that when the dust settles your heart will be full and your vision fresh for what lies ahead.
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 3:13
Onward,
Lorna
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