Change

Where do I begin? Life is funny sometimes. Just when you start to get comfortable, something comes along to stir things up and get you out of your comfort zone again. The last several months have been full of potential change and lots of uncertainty. We are not at all where we thought we would be right now and we are headed in a direction that a few short months ago we never would have imagined we would be headed.

Last fall, we really started feeling like change was coming. We did have a baby, so there was definitely a lot of change and adjustment with that, but we felt that there was more. Over time we felt several promptings to be prepared. For what? We had no idea! We definitely felt like the time was quickly approaching for us to move out of the house we are renting. We had no plans to leave Jon's job, so we started looking at other cities around us. In the meantime we started preparing to move. Without even trying, we found a new home for our chickens. Then we got the yard put back together, and we did some major dejunking and deep cleaning in our house. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in just four years!

In January, Jon was approached about a job in Portland. I won't go into much detail, other than to say that that whole experience was very inspired. We weren't looking for a new job. That was the farthest thing from our minds. But when he was approached about it, we both immediately knew that he needed to pursue it. The job seemed really promising, they flew Jon out, he had a flawless interview, everything seemed perfect. We were sure this was the answer to our prayers and the reason for all of our previous promptings. But through an incredibly bizarre series of events over the next few weeks, the job fell through and we found ourselves in shock and feeling very lost. Of course, we knew that he wasn't guaranteed that job. But the whole process was a series of inspiration and miracles and all signs were pointing to YES. We told each other several times that if the job didn't work out, it would be because it wasn't supposed to. The night he got his no from that company, we very unexpectedly found ourselves walking down a completely new path. One that we never would have even considered on our own. Doors were opened for us to start exploring other options, and it became very apparent that the job in Portland was an avenue to bring us to this new path.

I wish I didn't have to be so vague. But everything is still so uncertain right now. Most of the puzzle pieces are still missing. We have no idea where we'll be in the next couple of months or what we'll be doing. We could still be right where we are. At the same job and in the same house. We might not. But ultimately, we both feel an incredible amount of peace (and occasional bouts of major stress and freaking out :) ) right now. I wish I could somehow share all of the little miracles we have seen over the last few months and the promptings and inspiration we have received. It has been one heck of a roller coaster ride. But we have never felt so completely sure that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing right now.

We have both learned so much and have grown in ways that we wouldn't have without the experiences we've had over the last several months. We have definitely learned a lot about patience and trusting the Lord's timing and plan for us. It is comforting to know that He can see the big picture, He wants us to be happy, and He is willing to help us along the way. This doesn't guarantee an easy path. Really, we expect that it will be quite the opposite. Growth comes through trials and stretching ourselves. And we fully expect to continue to be tried. But we hope that as we continue to move forward in whatever direction we feel we should go, that the puzzle pieces will continue to fall into place, and we will slowly be able to grow and stretch ourselves in the ways that we hope to. I'm excited and anxious to see where the next few months take us!