“Hello Mrs. Coghill, are you interested in selling your house?” My heart skipped a beat and I laughed. “Absolutely not”, I blurted and quickly explained to the real estate agent on the phone why a move was not presently in our plans. My husband, Bob, and I were almost finished final upgrades to our bungalow, designed and built as part of our downsizing project. We enjoyed our home, the pine bush behind, the finches, cardinals, junkos and sparrows that came regularly to nibble at the seeds Bob faithfully provided at the feeders near the birdbath in the garden. As well, we were involved and comfortable in our church and our community.
About a month after the phone call, Bob and I walked around a property in Kawartha Lakes. As we enjoyed the summer breeze, he repeatedly voiced his thoughts, “I could live here”. My stomach lurched. Although I shared Bob’s sentiments that the area was beautiful, overflowing with God’s creation, I lacked his apparent desire for relocating. However, later that week, an inner stirring posed a tough question. “Would you be willing to make a move if it was Bob’s dream and not yours?”
Continue Reading
And yet, I found myself responding “yes” to the still small voice. Within hours, I sensed such peace and an excitement for what God might have planned. That “yes” has brought a huge change to our lives and the beginning of a journey that has surprised us many times.
Life’s lessons have been emerging. The new home is old and renovations have begun. As the walls come down, dust flies and insulation drops from the attic as the ceiling is removed. Little bits of debris float around the house and land on every surface in spite of plastic sheets nailed and taped in the doorways. The old needs to go before the new can replace it. The challenges have been numerous and yet, I sense that I am being renewed along with our new dwelling place. Anticipation flows through me as I drink my coffee and look out at the sun rising over the lake each morning. A new view. A new vision.
When Abram responded to God’s call to leave his country and his father’s house, he relied totally on God’s promise that He would lead Abram to a land that He would show him. Abram could never have known the challenges or the blessings that awaited him but his “yes” has impacted every generation since.
Often leaders are called to move out of a comfort zone and on to the next step of obedience and deeper level of trust. While I wait to discover the why of this move, I rejoice in God’s promise in Psalm 32:8: I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go.
And as I move on, I am reminded over and over again that God’s plans for me are always far better than the plans I make for myself.
Leave a Reply