Pack Your Bags

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. PROVERBS 3:5-6

We packed up to leave our home and live in Cocoa Beach for four months while on temporary work assignment for NASA. We decided to give East Coast Christian Center a try as our temporary church while we were here. After an exhausting, two-day journey down I-95, we stumbled into our first Sunday service only to hear Pastor Dan preaching a sermon series called “Road Trip.” We chuckled at the analogy as we had just unloaded our car from a long journey the night before. We thought that this was further confirmation that East Coast was the place for us.

The worship music was so different from what we were used to, and Pastor Dan’s preaching felt so genuine and vulnerable. Not to mention, he wore stylish jeans while preaching in church! *gasp*

As different and unusual as all this seemed at the time, we couldn’t help feeling that we had somehow found our tribe. Although we were so far from our house, we felt at home. It was the first time I had experienced the actual presence of God. The people around me seemed to be seeking God passionately and worshiped with a freedom that made me want more.

We immediately plugged in with the university and other ministries at East Coast, so it came as no surprise when my husband said he felt God was calling us to Florida, more specifically, to East Coast Christian Center...permanently.

This presented a problem because our entire lives were up north where both sides of our families lived within 30 minutes of us. Not to mention the fact that we were in the worst housing market in decades, and my husband would have to leave a 20-year position to move to Florida.

It was agonizing and difficult. My husband was trusting God to guide our path and was fully submitted to God’s call. I, on the other hand, was torn and leaning on my own understanding of the situation. I couldn’t see God’s path for me beyond all the roadblocks.

Remarkably, a speaker at a ladies’ meeting prior to beginning her sermon called me out and pointed right at me and said, “Pack your bags. God is blowing on your sails.” I sobbed at the sheer love God had for me in that moment. He knew of my internal struggle and indecision to move so He had a complete stranger speak for Him to let me know that He’s got this and to pack my bags. He was not going to let me take the wrong path and, in that moment, I felt seen and loved by the Creator of the universe.

Once we gave God our "yes," He took care of all the details. In a little over two months, our house was sold, a new job offer came in, and our kids were back in Florida two days before their first day of school. It truly was miraculous.

Father, help me lean on You rather than my own understanding, especially in those times when I am surrounded by seemingly big obstacles. Show me how to receive Your extravagant love and give me grace and peace, especially in those moments of uncertainty and indecision. Help me trust You, lean on You, and to know for certain that You have my back no matter what. Help me to be confident in Your voice and passionate for Your presence. Amen.