The Plan? PART I
For I know the plans I have for you,”
says the Lord . “They are plans for good
and not for disaster, to give you a future
and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT https://my.bible.com/bible/116/JER.29.11.NLT
I am not sure I can express how great my life is. Words are not adequate to describe the growth I have seen over the past year and really for the past three years. You see, three years ago, this month, was the start of my latest LIFE JOURNEY. Have you ever experienced a LIFE CHANGING event that very few people were aware of? Most people can think of life changing events like births, deaths, weddings, and career changes. Those events are usually shared with a huge group of people. But, three years ago, at the end of the 2017 school year, my life changed. I really don't want to share all the details, but I was devastated. I decided on that last day of school in May of that year, I was retiring. It wasn't a pleasant thought. I loved teaching. I loved the kids. I loved MANY of my colleagues. But, I was devastated on that last day of school and I knew I was done. Very few people know of how deeply hurt I was. My close friends, Matt, Ron, Andy, my wife all knew. They were so supportive during that time. As an educator I always felt appreciated by my kids and I really thought what I was doing was making a difference. The fight got to me and I just couldn't do it any more. Yep, I gave up the fight. I was tired and deeply hurt. But, The LORD took that event and propelled me to the greatest years of my life. As I look back three years later, I can see how the Lord turned that devastation into a peace that surpasses all understanding. He truly has orchestrated the events to bring me to joy, peace, and a sense of excitement for my life that I have NEVER felt before.
I suffered severe depression the summer and early fall of 2017 and I really wanted nothing to do with anyone. I worked through it only by digging into God's word, deep prayer and a type of solitude by withdrawing from everything at school. By the end of 2017 Stephanie (my lovely wife) and I were praying together every morning and the Lord had revealed a plan for both of us to retire at the end of the 2019 school year. This plan was beyond a shadow of a doubt, the craziest thing we had ever done. We put our house up for sale in early 2018 and our plan was to sell the house, get rid of all our STUFF, purchase an RV, live in it full time, and travel around working for the LORD. We weren't sure what that was going to look like but we knew it would involve Motorcycle events and serving the Lord in any way he wanted. In all reality, we still don't know the EXACT plans, but we trust the Lord and know HE HAS A PERFECT PATH. So, we are both committed to the plan. TO make sure it was OF GOD and not US, we were and are open to any changes that may happen along the way. There is nothing concrete about our schedule. We have been so shocked. All along the way the Lord has given us wonderful signs, we are doing his will. The first of those signs occurred in selling our house.
Our house sold before it was even on the market. WOW! we couldn't believe it. THEN the buyer, backed out. Oh my gosh, we were stunned and thought, WELL LORD, it's your plan. Soon after we lost that offer and put the house on the market the second time, we received another offer. It was for more money and we thought, GREAT LORD WE TRUST YOU. Guess what, THEY BACKED out. SO, we went back on the market. By this time we were seriously questioning the plan. We still believed the Lord was with us but were wondering about out timing. We received our THIRD OFFER. IT was for even more than the previous two. GUESS WHAT.......nope they didn't back out. By June 2018 we were living full-time in a beautiful fifth wheel. We gave away most of our furniture and I took load upon load of clothes to the Salvation Army. It's amazing the STUFF you accumulate!
When we moved in to our TINY HOME ON WHEELS, I can not explain the peace and joy we had. Yep, we had quite the time figuring out this new lifestyle, but it was clear that God took the devastation of the summer of 2017 and turned it for our good. There was definitely hate in my heart for the people I felt destroyed my love of education. It has taken three years to put that behind me. I absolutely feel the LORD used them to wake me up and to really search for the path God wanted me to follow. We have an absolute love for our former lives as teachers. We have great love for our school and community. IF the events of May 2017 hadn't taken place, we would have missed so many blessings that have occurred since that time. I praise God for his powerful hand and loving direction in our lives today.
I know a lot of people experience worse devastation than we have ever known. But, I can assure anyone going through tough times, and there are a lot of people experiencing severe devastation right now in this pandemic. PLEASE RELY ON THE LORD. HE IS FAITHFUL and will not only get you through the valley of the shadow of death, HE will explode the JOY and BLESSINGS of your life if you just let him. I had a choice in the summer of 2017. I could have turned away from the Lord. I often asked him "WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME". But, I chose to depend NOT on my own understanding. I chose to depend on the Lord, seek him, and his NEW PLAN. I am so happy I did.
But the story was just beginning. God has continued to surprise us on this crazy adventure.
