Day 3: Connect
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
When we take the time to listen and trust God, even if it really doesn’t make sense to us at the time, taking one step of obedience after another will help us see God’s glory shine and make our path more clear.
Not knowing the answer right away is sometimes a hard thing to struggle with. In the summer of 1997, I was faced with a life-altering decision. My family and I were moving from England to another country. I had just finished high school and had made plans to attend a community college and work towards a degree in child development…or so I thought! Instead, my father told our family that the only way he could keep his job was to move. My life suddenly got tossed upside down. I now had to move to a new country, make new friends, learn a completely new language and adapt to a whole new culture. Feelings of rejection, apprehension, worry, and fear began to settle in my stomach. I wish I could say at that time that I had a strong walk with God. I think if I had, things would have been different. However, I didn’t.
I tried to handle my own feelings and figure things out for myself. I began to feel resentment towards my dad for moving us and I even remember feeling that my life was ruined. I couldn’t speak the language or make friends, and I was being told over and over again by the outside world that I was just not going to make it.
Depression and sadness kicked in. I remember sitting in my room with tears rolling down my face, when I heard a knock. It was my mom. She had been a believer for as long as I could remember and she shared with me that if I would put my faith and TRUST in God and begin praying I would see the path that He had for me. She shared a verse with me and said,
“When you are lost, say the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 over and over again and take that one step.”
I remember thinking,
“Yeah right, but what else can I do? It’s worth a try.”
I went to church with my mom that next Sunday and met a friend. For once, I didn’t feel like an outcast, and I finally found a place where I was accepted. I began attending Bible study, asked Jesus to be my forever friend, and was baptized.
Several years later, that friend I met at church became my husband. After one more move across the ocean, we now have four children, and I have a job that fills my heart’s desire.
God had that path created for me from the very beginning, and although I couldn’t see it during that time, it was that journey and experience that has made me who I am today.
— Joanne Brockway
Reflect
Take some time to reflect on these questions:
Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn’t know if that’s where you were supposed to be? What did you do?
God has your path already mapped out and can help carry your load as your travel along. Take some time right now to PRAY and then TRUST. Listen to God as you take one step forward at a time.
Next Steps
God created us to live in community…in fact we are hard-wired for it! Deep down inside we long to know and be known, to love and be loved, to serve and be served, and to celebrate and be celebrated. Joining a small group is a great opportunity for community!