"Escaping to easier terrain is all too tempting when we're weary in hardship" (p. 14).
As I prepared my curriculum vitae for Northwest Nazarene University, and as I pondered my excitement for an invitation to interview, I had to focus upon my motivation for this pursuit. Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, left their homeland in pursuit of food and prosperity. It was not a choice that God had given them, but they pushed forward on their own accord. In pursuing a move to Idaho over staying in Ohio, Steve and I had to seek God for direction. Were we escaping, or were we obeying? How would we know the answer to that question?
I believe the need to process the question made the roller coaster of a journey, and the waiting, worthwhile. In the midst of the in-between, and in the midst of waiting, it is all too easy to be overcome with anxiety. This kind of anxiety is not of God. During these times, I sought God for specific direction and answers. During the wait, I found peace for either direction - to stay, or to go. I found myself dwelling in the contentment of the here and now until God drew me elsewhere.
Now, in the midst of the transition, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is drawing us towards this change. Such knowledge changes everything. It brings healing to hardship, it soothes anxious nerves, and strengthens weary minds.
"God's ways are not always the most practical, popular, or unopposed, but they are the most blessed" (Minter, 2009, p. 17).
Minter, K. (2009). Ruth: Loss, love & legacy. Nashville: Lifeway.
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