Though this story really begins with the moment of my conception (as it does for every one of us), I will spare you a half century of details and jump ahead to the past three years.

In the spring of 2013, Mark and I began a journey we could not have anticipated.

And it started with a pit in my stomach.

While on a business trip, my hubby called to tell me that his company was asking him to come and join them at the corporate office in San Francisco.

At the time, we were living happily in Parker, Colorado where we’d lived for three years after a seven year stay in Arizona.  Colorado was good to and for us.  A much needed respite that included mountains, trees and four seasons after our stint of cacti, scorpions and desert landscape.

Colorado symbolized healing for me.  If I couldn’t return home to our beloved state of Washington, Parker was the next best thing.

Which brings us back to that phone conversation.  As quickly as the word “California” fell out of Mark’s mouth, my stomach went into rancid mode.  I had declared so many times that “I would never move to California”.  I had always figured that our next move would be to the Pacific Northwest close to our families of origin and our friends of history.

Without thinking, I blurted out, “that thought makes me nauseous.”  It was the truth.   The thought of moving anywhere but home sickened me.

My understanding husband said that he would turn down the opportunity. (Keeper, yes? :-))

I hung up the phone, confident that I’d made the right choice in declaring my own need.  Within 30 minutes, I got that stirring feeling inside.  God had something to say.   I hadn’t even taken the time to ask Him what He thought of this idea.  So He interrupted my thoughts and told me any way:

“What if I have something for you in California?  Can you trust me enough to step into the unknown?  The unexpected?  Will you change the course of my plan for you and your family because of your own fears?”

(Yeah.  He talks to me like that.  And He is always right, dang it.)

So I called Mark back and said, “I’m in if you are.”

God wasn’t moving me in the direction I was hoping, but He WAS moving me. Literally.

There is no way I could have known what would greet me in Pleasanton, California.  But I began to pray before I got there.  I prayed for the home we would seek out and pick.  I prayed for the people we would meet and the neighbors we would live next to.

And I prayed for us.  That God would prepare our hearts and minds for this new adventure.  That it would be a place of growth, continued healing.  That God would have my available heart and open mind to do with as He saw fit in this new place.

Then something very strange happened.  I began to get excited!  Like for real, not even faking it.  Suddenly, this change in course for us turned my perspective upside down.  Ad.Ven.Ture.  It was waiting for us and how could I not look forward to that knowing that it was very clearly prompted by Someone who only had our best interest in mind???

God’s attention to every detail of moving to California was mind-blowing.  An incredible town.  A cottage-type house that won my heart as soon as I walked through the door.  Great neighbors.  Fantastic friends.  A thriving start-up church that drew us in from the first visit. Ministry opportunities galore.  Eventually, a new career doing what I love.  And a million other little blessings in between.

415 Abbie Street became my little dream come true in a place I had never imagined being. In a place that, at one point, I had said I would never go.

I have fallen in love with this place, with these people.

Still, there has been that deep longing in my heart to return to Washington.

For the past year, we have been looking for options that would take us back to our old “neck the woods.” Closer to extended family and our oldest friends.

Six times God has shut that door.  Six times it hit me like a  punch to the gut.  Six times I cried my eyes out and asked God “why?”

Five of those times, I experienced God’s silence on the issue.

But this last time, God did something different.

He said, “wait.”

Now this is not the first time God has given me that answer.  We’ve all experienced His delayed timing only to find out later that “delayed” and “perfect” can mean the same thing when it comes to God’s clock.

But this time when He told me to wait, it rang differently in my ears.  Almost musical.  I had this visual of Jesus winking at me when He said it.  As if to say, “If you’ll just hold on a little longer, I’m about to thrill you with my answers, and I can hardly wait to show you!!!”

Now how do you not wait patiently when God speaks to you like that?  When the omniscient Creator of the universe shows His dimples with that smile that tells you a sweet surprise is right around the corner?

Was a miraculous move back to Washington in the works?

And so, just like when we came here, when I couldn’t really understand, couldn’t see the future, didn’t know what God had up His creative sleeve, I conceded my need to know everything.

In addition, for the past year, I’ve felt this incessant need to downsize.  From my diet to my closet.  From my schedule to my belongings.  This bled into my desire for a smaller dwelling.  So much of our home seemed to just be sitting there unoccupied and unused.  Wasted space.  More to take care of than was really necessary.

Simplifying my life has proven to be healthy for my soul.  So I was constantly in prayer over whether or not we should sell our place, even if we weren’t able to move back to our home state.  To minimize living space and maximize actual living.

But when God said “wait” with that twinkle in HIs eye, I gave up even that notion.  If God wanted us here in this house, in this neighborhood, in this town and state, I was going to be content and love the heck out of everything about it.

I put it like this:

“Okay, Jesus.  I will no longer torture myself by asking, ‘should we, could we?’  I will sit right here as if this is to be our permanent dwelling. The only way that we will leave this house is if you bring someone to our front door that says they want to buy it.”

Just having that conversation put this incredible peace in my heart.  Staying still was a direction that now felt deliberate and right.  The sensation of dangling feet melted into a sense of solid ground underneath me. I would treat 415 Abbie Street as my forever home.

God was not moving me to Seattle, but He WAS moving me. 

Three days later it happened.  The realtor I work with said that she had a friend that wanted to see my house.  Someone who wanted to downsize and live in this wonderful downtown setting.

I said, “Sure.  Have her come by”, but then promptly forgot about it.  That’s how at peace I was with staying put. With loving where God seemed to be asking me to stay.

The next day I received a text saying that this gal WAS going to come and look at my house.  All of a sudden this scenario was real and I began to wonder, “Jesus, is THIS what you’re smiling about?”

To make a long story a little bit longer, this beautiful woman came to my house and what started with a hug at the front door ended with her saying, “I want to buy your house and everything in it!”

And I ask you, what are the chances of that???

Pretty good, I guess, when you’re dealing with the God of the Universe.

There are a half zillion little details that mark this as miracle material.  From conversations of faith to detailed answers to her desires and my prayers.

The home that we have loved, that has seen unbelievable miracles and deep inner healing, will be passed like the torch of blessing that it is to another.

Everyone involved is seeing how much Jesus loves.  How He orchestrates the impossible and weaves endless details into beautiful tapestries.

And maybe for the first time, they will catch a glimpse of that same grin that has graced God’s face through this whole process.

The smile that said, “Just you wait.  I have more in store than you could ever imagine.”

Of course, this isn’t the end of the story.  I didn’t even say where we are going!  We’ll save that for next time.  And that’s a story all in itself. 🙂

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. – Ephesians 3:20

 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. – Jeremiah 33:3

– Do you have an impossible situation, unanswered questions, an incessant longing?

– Have you talked to Jesus about it?  Have you searched His face for His reassuring smile of the promise of His provision and presence in the waiting?

– Have you released control, or the need to know the future so that you can see the beauty of the details that come together as His plan for you unfolds?

He has a plan for you.  That is a given.  And not just a plan.  A really, really good plan.  Maybe not what you think you want, but even better than that.

Maybe God isn’t moving you to “Seattle”, but He IS moving you.  Onward.  Forward.  Closer to His heart in the process.

Hugs,

J