Changes

Christmas has snuck up on me this year. My family is in the middle of an unexpected cross-country move, so our focus has been more on working out all the details involved in that, and not so much on the holidays.  Many things will be different when we move, and I'm having a hard time emotionally accepting all the changes. Yet my husband and I can clearly see God's leading in our lives, so I am trying to trust that He will continue to work out all the details in the way that would be His best for us.

Yesterday, as I was packing, I listened to a radio adaptation of my all-time favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life. George Bailey's life didn't exactly go according to his plans and dreams, but as Clarence the Angel showed him what Bedford Falls would have been like if he had never been born, he began to see just how much of an impact he had had on his family and community. Seemingly small choices can have long-lasting repercussions that we never even think about.

I thought back on my life and could see certain times when I "just happened" to be in the right place at the right time... not because I had planned it that way, but because God did.

This week in my devotions I've been reading the Christmas story from Luke. If there was anyone who ever had to deal with completely unexpected changes it was Mary! Can you imagine? A young bride-to-be planning her wedding and her new home... and then Gabriel shows up.

Somehow the changes in my life don't seem so major any more. And so, for the next few hours I'm going to try to "rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing."

Then, it's back to packing!

Enjoying the adventure,
~Karla Cook
Lifelong Learner