It's all about the Timing

Last Thursday was rough. I finished cleaning out my office in McComas Hall (Read this post if you're not sure why!). While I am obviously excited about these next steps with HMM, I am a creature of habit and comfort (Read: I don't like change!).

As I was getting out of my truck to unload everything at my other office on campus, a friend was returning from lunch and offered to help. He graciously carried in an enormous box that I had way overpacked. I'm incredibly grateful that he arrived at just the right time to carry that stinkin' box (because it would likely still be in the back of my truck had he not), but it was what he said in those few minutes between my truck and the office that was even more perfect. 

He asked how things were going with my new situation and when I launched into my "Oh great, but I still have moments of panic when I think 'What have I done?'" spiel, he simply said,

"For whoever wants to to save his life will lose it, 

but whoever loses his life for me, will find it."

Matthew 16:25

Wow. Talk about a smack upside the head to stop the pity party I was headed toward simply because change makes me "uncomfortable." Waah.

It's amazing how God puts people, devotions, signs, social media posts, quotes and a million other signs in front of us to bring us comfort at just the perfect time! I pray daily that I don't get too busy to miss any of those signs - I am afraid I have missed so many throughout the years. Another prayer is that I won't be too busy to BE that sign to someone else.

I pray in all the busyness of DOING, I never miss the opportunity just to BE.

Have you ever been given a "sign" that you knew was meant just for YOU at the perfect time? Would love to hear about it (feel free to share below!)!

Musings from the Mower

Today, I mowed the yard. Don't misunderstand. I'm not bragging or asking for some kind of an award. This happens fairly often. We have a riding mower and a really big yard (Read: "Quiet" time to myself to get lost in my thoughts.).

The view from my porch

(In case you want to enjoy the fruits of my labor, I've included a picture. That's some good looking grass, right?)

So, as I was tooling around the yard this afternoon, God brought to mind the situation that led us to this house. It was messy and painful; I thought Jeff and I were both going to lose our minds. Our house sold unexpectedly (Read: Not on the market, showed it on a whim, moved out a month later) and we thought we had a place to rent. That place fell through three weeks before our closing date. In Louisville, Miss., rental property (that's not sketchy!) is scarce anyway and now we were really scrambling. I won't go through all the crazy details of the other three things that were "lined up" and fell through (at least not in this post) but we finally had a solution...10 days before closing. 

Our things were scattered all over Winston County in long-term storage, short-term storage, temporary rental (five to six weeks, we hoped) and at our soon-to-be home. Now, I should probably also add the context that Jeff was in his first semester of seminary, and I was in the promotion and tenure process at Mississippi State to keep my job. Let's just say, tension was running high around the Walton house.

I remember so many moments of frustration wondering how God could possibly make this mess "right." How could He possibly make good on His promise to provide for "all my needs" (Philippians 4:19) when I was having trouble getting dressed in the morning or cooking a meal because I couldn't find ANYTHING?!

But here I sit. On my front porch writing this post. Our rental house is now "home" and God has more than met our needs. Our home is a little larger with a much larger yard (Read: Lots of space for two energetic little boys) and we pay less in rent than we did for our mortgage. The family we are renting from is an amazing Christian family and our rent helps cover the costs of caring for their aging mother (Also a preacher's wife - shout out to my sister!). While I couldn't see this ending eight months ago when I was digging through a several dozen boxes in the middle of the night trying to find a bundt pan because I wanted to make a blessed cake (Grrr, stupid stress cravings!), I see it now. 

I see how the other rental situation would have been a train wreck for us. I see how we are now in a situation that allows us to move at anytime without worry about selling a house or breaking a lease agreement. I see that our boys love having a yard and a pasture to romp around in without the fears of neighborhood living. And I see how the situation has been able to move us toward a position to make other decisions (see previous post) with less fear about the financial implications. 

Sometimes we have to let go of the reigns so God can rain down His blessings...in His time...and in His way. I'm learning. Slowly, but surely. 

So, there you have it - my musings from the mower. Amazing what a few spins around the yard on a riding mower can do for the soul. Now, I should go clean my house.

Our home