Following God Where I've Never Been Before

I'm a follower of a few blogs - girlfriends of mine who share a variety of things with the virtual world. One of my friends is a crafty, creative, mother of 4 who is always coming up with something fun and festive to describe her busy life (www.amyjdelightful.blogspot.com).  Another friend is a baker and I enjoy reading about the new recipes she is trying out with her 3-year old daughter (www.becauseibake.blogspot.com). My third blogger friend recently adopted a beautiful little girl from China, and kept everyone up to date on the adoption process through her blog posts (www.weareadoptingfromchina.blogspot.com).

After following these special girls' posts for the last couple of years, I decided it would be fun to have my own blog! So here goes!

The title of my blog is Pleasant Places. Over the last four years I have traveled many rough roads. There have been times when I didn't want to go to the next place God had in mind for me, and I hesitated to follow Him. But Psalm 16:5-6 says that "the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." Joshua 3 states that those who choose to follow the Lord will be guided by His hand, and even though we may not "have been this way before," if we trust Him, "the Lord will do amazing things among us."

The last two months has been one of those times when God has challenged me to, "Move out from your position and follow [Me]. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before." A few years ago I had the privilege of traveling to SE Asia for a study tour. One day I found myself in a long boat traveling to a remote village to visit the Iban people of Borneo. I remember thinking, "I don't really know what's around the bend and I'm not sure I want to get into this boat and risk the unknown." Then I remembered this verse - God didn't ask me to stand still and He would bring His amazing thing to me. He asked me to "move out from [my] position and follow." Then He promised that if I did, He would do amazing things among me - around me, in front of me, and behind me. So, I stepped into the boat and experienced one of the most amazing things I have ever seen!! If I had let my fears control me, I would have missed out on so much!!

So back to the last two months. I went to bed on the evening of November 18, thankful for the way God had provided for my son's gallbladder surgery earlier that day, and ready to enjoy the coming weekend with him as he re-couped in my home. During the night I received two phone calls that my mom had fallen and would probably need to see her doctor the next day. Ok - not a big deal. We've been here before. I went back to sleep and woke up the next day ready to help Mom with her visit and then deliver her safely back home. As soon as I walked in her apartment I realized that this road was unfamiliar!! I hadn't been here before! I had no idea what was around the bend. Mom had broken her foot in 3 places and would need to spend the next few weeks in the hospital, followed by at least another month in rehab. She would not be returning to her apartment for some time - if ever.

Meanwhile, Dad was facing a major surgery to replace his aortic valve. We were hoping to put this off until after the holidays, but I quickly realized that we weren't going to be able to wait that long. Dad needed the surgery now. So, with Mom safely being cared for at Newton Medical Center, Dad was admitted to Kansas Heart Hospital, where he stayed for two weeks. During that time Mom moved from NMC to Halstead Health and Rehab for continued therapy.

Now the road looked a bit scary! I really couldn't see where God was leading us, but I still wanted to trust that He knew what He was doing. As we sat in the hospital room going through Dad's discharge information, my phone rang. Uh-oh...the rehab facility! They were sending Mom back to the hospital with a stomach virus. She'd only been at Halstead for 6 days! We spent another week in the hospital and then back to rehab. Dad was recovering at my house, and things had drastically changed for all of us. I definitely had not been this way before!

We came to a family decision that Mom and Dad should move closer, and after looking at all the options, decided that the best thing for them would be to move in with us. I had to wonder where God was leading! But I kept coming back to the promise of Psalm 16:6 - "The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places; surely, I have a delightful inheritance!" If God was leading, then God was also placing my boundary lines. And He said that not only  was I coming into a pleasant place, but that my inheritance there would be delightful. So, I held His hand a bit tighter and continued to follow.

On December 17, just 5 days after Dad came home from and Mom returned to the hospital, God allowed a roadblock to occur...I was involved in a car accident and suffered a totaled car and mild whiplash. What now?? I had lots of questions! This did NOT look like a pleasant place! In fact, the path was very unpleasant and very scary! I can't say that I didn't ask my questions - I did! I wanted to know, "Why now?" "What does this mean?" "Are you trying to teach me something?" "What could be the ultimate purpose here?"

One of the things I had been most concerned about regarding Mom and Dad living here had to do with transportation. I knew that my Corolla was not very easy for them to get in and out of, and Paul's Blazer posed problems of its own - not the least of which was a lack of available seating. As I pondered the type of car I should get to replace my Corolla, God revealed His pleasant place to me. We could now afford to get a car that would meet all the needs we had, and we wouldn't have to have any out-of-pocket expense to make it happen! God provided a delightful inheritance just as we came around the bend. I didn't know that way I was going, but He did an amazing thing among us!

Today we brought Mom home and I marveled again at how God had provided. We have a 2010 Dodge Caliber - a crossover vehicle that gives us comfortable riding space along with a hatchback that makes transporting a wheelchair easy. I followed God where I had never been before and He kept His promise to me to bring me into pleasant places and do amazing things. Now, how neat is that?