3 year anniversary
This month marks 3 years that we have lived overseas! It's been such an incredible journey, so I want to take some time to reflect on these 3 years. Before we moved overseas, I had literally never ever ever ever wanted to move away from America. I love America so much, it's comfortable and familiar, plus all of my family and a lot of my friends live there. But when the Father invites you to do something, even something that you don't want to do, from my experience, you should just do it.
Of course I could have chosen not to come, God does give us free will after all...but then I would have lost out on so many wonderful things that He wanted to do in our lives. I would have missed out the privilege of living in a gorgeous country with beautiful people that Jesus loves so deeply. When I told a dear friend, who has spoken so profoundly into my life at many pivotal points of my life, that we were moving, she texted me back this one sentence that has echoed in my mind these 3 years.
"You will grow more in 2 years than you have not in 20."
When things have been lonely or difficult here, I have thought of her words. When there were times that I would read disheartening news that would cause me to be overwhelmed with fear and I wanted to give up and pack our bags, I would hear her words. I had so much fear about moving the 7 of us here. There were so many unknowns about the move and I was just straight up scared and anxious. I often repeated this John Wayne quote to myself that a friend told me once,"Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." I don't know anything about John Wayne, but this quote still gives me chills.
As I have grown older (I am pushing 40 folks!), I realize that I let fears waste so many years of my life. Moving here has honestly forced me to deal with it. Even when I didn't want to, I have had to over and over again offer myself and my family up to the Lord....and that is the best thing I can do anyway. I am so grateful for the freedom we can have in Christ if we are just willing to let go and offer our fears to Him. He can and wants to use us so powerfully, if we don't let fear rule our lives and decisions. In these 3 years, in my very apparent weakness, I can truly say that He has been my strength.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
I am pondering this beautiful verse today. God does indeed know the plans He has for me and my family, and they are so good! His plan is to prosper us, not to bring us harm...letting go of MY plans for our lives and clinging on to HIS plans for our lives has truly been one of the most rewarding things of my life. So I want to ask some questions to each of my readers...Is there anything that God is inviting you to do today that seems too big or too scary for you to follow through on? Are there doors that He is opening that you want to slam shut and run the other way because of fear? I love this picture I posted a few weeks ago...Doesn't it look like a beautiful yet mysterious doorway in which you have to walk on water in order to enter? In the Bible, I think it took a lot of courage for Peter to walk on water. And even when he began to sink, Jesus was there to lift him up. These 3 years have helped me learn that God is truly the most loving, kind, patient and compassionate Father. I am so thankful for His leadership in my life...even if it means stepping out into unknown places.
This is a photo of some of us at the airport when we first moved here with our 13 suitcases, plus our backpacks! I love my family! I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and 5 awesome kiddos😍.