Our Inspired Journey

Life's been a bit of a swirl, lately.

John has two more weeks to finish up his dissertation and submit it to his committee...

We're on the tail end of the school year {which makes me SO excited to begin our homeschool journey in the Fall!}...

I help run the AWANA program at our church and we're closing out our first year in the next two weeks, which means all kinds of last minute craziness...

And on top of it all...we're house hunting.  {I know...great timing!}

Yes...a bit of a swirl.  And in the middle of it all, I've realized I have two choices.  I can either get swept up and swept away in the untamed nuttiness of it all...or I can be absolutely, positively STILL.

It's not easy to be still in the midst of a storm.  The wind and waves are constantly pushing us where we don't want to be.  Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting to retain my position while the swirling elements fight to make a mess of it all.

But then remember something from my childhood.  I remember swimming through the unpredictable waves in the ocean, never knowing when a "big one" may creep up on us.  When it happened though...when the swell before us began to rise and instead of flattening out into a rolling wave we could simply bob over, it would continue it's ascent and tower over us, ominously boasting of it's power and ability to destroy all below.  And fear would grip.  For a moment it seemed there was no way out.  And then, we'd remember...we'd hold our nose, close our eyes, dive under and be STILL while the pounding raged all around us.

Fighting wouldn't help.  There was no way we could out swim the beast above.  We knew we just had to dive to the place it was most secure, and wait out the storm.

The photo at the top of this post was taken right before we left for Illinois.  It was our last beach trip before packing our bags and walking into our promised land.  Looking back now, I understand the heart of Abraham so much more...his story has become ours too.  By faith, (we) - when called to go to a place (we) would later receive as our inheritance, obeyed and went, even though (we) did not know where we were going. {taken from Hebrews 11:8} 

And oh what an inheritance it was...hearing for the deaf.  Two sweet girls.  Miracles all around.

And so in the swirls of today, I get to choose how my mind will rest in the same God who brought us to our promised land...

I just don't know if the committee will pass my husband on to the land of doctor-ville...
and so I'm STILL and thankful for everything he's learned and the people he's met through the process.

I just don't know if this homeschooling thing will end up being a good fit for our family...
and so I'm STILL and thankful we have the opportunity to even choose in the first place.

I just don't know what next year's AWANA sign-ups will look like and if I can handle it all...
and so I'm STILL and thankful that God drew those He wanted to be a part this year.

I just don't know what house God wants to eventually call ours...
and so I'm STILL and thankful we have a roof over our head, food in the fridge and walls that we call home...now.

I'm plugging my nose, diving deep and seeking His calming presence...now.
And in the stillness and muted thunder of the crashing waves above, I know, that I know, that I know that everything will be just as HE wants it to be...if I'm STILL and grateful for every breath that we breathe, every meal that we share and every day that we're granted together to live fully in His grace....right smack dab in the center of...now.  Isn't His perspective so very good!!!

Thank you Jesus, for making all things new.  Even and especially when life swirls a bit more than we'd wish for...your presence makes us STILL and brings us peace.  We praise you...now.