Maybe You Need to Get Out of the Way

We were in Minnesota for almost ten years, many years longer than I’ve lived anyplace my entire life. The state was a difficult one for us because we are Southern through and through and Minnesota is not. The first three years were spent with us freezing from the cold as well as the frosty reception we seemed to be receiving. It took a long time for people to trust us, but once they let us in, we were in an inner circle unlike anything ever experienced. Leaving was every bit as difficult as going there had been.

At the point that we moved away, our children were in high school and middle school; tough times to pick up and make a change. My guy was very successful in his work and had gotten an offer out of nowhere to work with a previous colleague, so his current co-workers were shocked when he announced. I was in my last few classes of graduate school, highly involved in ministry, working for a friend with her business, and starting a working relationship with another that had great potential. And the real estate market had tanked in our area. On paper it made no sense to move, we would actually be losing money (in the short term) to go. And yet, it felt like God told us it was time.

Here we are now, more than three years later and I am seeing how things have changed since we left. Our children did just fine with the transition, in fact, they have thrived through it. We still have deep roots in our old community and cherish them, but we are seeing evidence of  new life in this new place, as well. The areas of ministry that we were involved in are humming along just fine without us, and my friend whose business I helped get off the ground? Turns out without me she was able to really focus on the work and move the company into a real success! I had known from previous moves that when you leave, it allows others to step in and take your place, but with this move I realized that sometimes you need to get out of the way so that things can be done better. I still can’t explain leaving in the midst of some of the details, but I am confident that God had a purpose in it all, not just most of it.

I am wondering if there is something that you need to change in your life? Do you need to get out of the way so God can work through others to make the situation even better?