A Letter on the Refrigerator

I feel as though God has shown himself to me in many ways throughout my life, but there are two instances that stick out the most where I knew, without a doubt, God was directing me, or us, to take a leap of faith and follow him, no matter how scary or uncertain the situation. One being marrying Eric in college at age 21, even though others thought we were crazy. Best decision I ever made. The other being, deciding to stay home longer with Madelyn and giving up teaching at the school I LOVE and possibly being out of a job come this February.

My passion has always been to stay home when I had children of my own, and I was having a hard time accepting the idea of me working as both a mother and teacher full time. One night Eric was reading a letter from John Bloom, the executive director of Desiring God ministries. As we sat on the couch together, Eric read me a part of his letter. The words provided me with a sense of peace, and I immediately took the letter and placed it on the refrigerator.

Four weeks before I was due to go back to work, through a situation I know only God could have directed, I received a call about taking a job working 10 hours a week, providing me the ability to stay home with Madelyn for the vast majority of each week.

A few days later, I came across the letter buried under old pictures, invitations, and papers. I pulled it out. In the closing of the letter it read:

The unplanned, inefficient detours of our lives are planned by God. They are common for disciples and they commonly don't make sense in the moment. But God's ways are not our ways because our lives are about him, not about us. He is orchestrating far more than we know in every unexpected event and delay.

We will see what February brings, but I know without a doubt that this is God directing our family, and I just have to trust that all the other details will also work out.