“Texas? What? Details please.”
Indulge me while I begin at the beginning.
Born and raised in Pleasanton, California and happily raising our boys in our hometown, it wasn’t until the past few years that we even started talking out loud about living elsewhere. A grumble about traffic, a complaint about how things had changed, but mostly we were plugging along trying to do best by our family. We loved watching TV shows about people moving to Alaska, but talk of living elsewhere was mostly just fantasy. That was for other people.
Reflecting back now, maybe it’s appropriate to call the first stop on this road to Texas our decision to pull our older boys out of public school when they started junior high almost three years ago. We were looking for a smaller environment and we felt called to Christian education. It fit with our family and our values and God aligned the stars to make it happen physically and financially. We were all so happy with the new school and I remember knowing then “God has planted us here and we will be here until He calls us out.”
Last year there were some changes at our school. We watched families come and go. We sat back and watched and prayed. We fell back on a really important life lesson we learned many years ago through a difficult season in our church: “Do not follow others. Follow Jesus.” Our life question became “God, where do you want our family.” Until God directed us, we were staying.
Within a month of starting this school year, Derek and I both felt the distinct impression that God was preparing us for a change. We sat down as a family and talked and we told our boys that we believed the season at our school was over. We didn’t know what that looked like or where we would go. We knew our twin boys would finish middle school there and our youngest would finish elementary school, but we knew nothing beyond that.
As people learn of our plans to move they always ask, “But what do your boys think about this?” You may or may not be surprised to know that our boys were OK when we shared how we were feeling about their school, although moving wasn’t part of the equation yet. Partly I think they are good kids who were trusting mom and dad. I also truly believe they recognized there was a bigger plan unfolding. Looking back, that feeling was becoming palpable in our home.
It’s a funny thing when God shuts a door when you weren’t looking to make a change. It’s scary and exciting and interesting to know something is over but you have no idea yet what will replace it. There was only one thing we knew to do in that situation – PRAY. It may sound simplistic or trite, but when you have no idea what the next steps are, it’s the only tool in the toolbox.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Have you ever felt a door close before a new one opened? How did you deal with it?
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