i'll never forget walking to the corner of the parking lot to hug them good-bye. i watched the white jeep pull away, carrying away the only guy i ever trusted and my best girlfriend.
it was a slow walk back to my new home.
i suppose it wasn't until my junior year that i fell head over heels in love with college life in the quaint little town nestled in the foothills of the blue ridge mountains.
by the time my senior year rolled in, i was certain this town would always be home. if, but just for long weekends during football season. during the last semester of my senior year, i found a way to stay just bit longer. grad school and my first real job offered the perfect excuse for an extended stay.
this is when i determined to never move back to my hometown.
at the time, it was nothing more than a dead end.
i envisioned myself working for the institution that holds a piece of my heart forever. i entertained the notion of buying a house and making a home.
in march of 2004, something in my heart shifted. a new baby girl had just moved to my hometown and i couldn't drive fast enough back to the place i vowed never to return. the more i visited, the more i longed for home.
a year later i went on my last first date.
and the longing for home called for me at all hours of the day.
in july 2007, after two long years of job searches and interviews, i packed up my little house at the end of the dead-end road. and made my way home. to the place i vowed never to return for more than a week. to a cute little apartment right near the very place i grew up.
funny how eating your words never tasted so sweet than when you are walking in His will for your life.
i had a brand new job, full of exciting opportunities. a job that was wonderful, but never felt quite right.
yet, it always felt more like a resting place and less like a final destination.
two years later, while on my honeymoon, i received the most out-of-the-blue phone call. after ignoring it twice, i thought i better respond. after all, the person on the other end of the line, was a board member for the organization that signed my paycheck. and her employer was a rather large donor to our organization.
she asked if i would be interested in a position she had come available in her department.
it was one of those moments when i was absolute certain God was speaking to me.
besides my new husband, He was the only one who knew i was entertaining the idea of looking for another job.
i took the job. and boldly stepped into His plan.
four years in, and i sense He is calling me to something else. not another career. but rather, something in addition to my current career.
it's frightening and exciting, all at the same time. the more i pray about it, a peace floods my spirit. at every corner, i see the path being made straight. over the past couple of months, i have received an overwhelming response to a silent prayer. a conversation between me and the One who knows.
some of you have played a part. whether it be through chats on the phone or seemingly innocent chats or facebook encouragement, you served as His mouthpiece
come on over to my house tomorrow, where with hands shaking and voice quivering, i will share with you how you played a part to an answered prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment