Well, it is really hard to believe that I have now lived in Alabama for two and a half months. Some days it feels as if I just got here; things are foreign, and I am just starting to feel like I am beginning to get a handle on things. Other days, it seems like it has been forever since I was “home” and felt like I knew what was going on. In reality, it has been 71 days today.
How did I get here? Well, here you go….
Almost two years ago I began to pray a prayer that is dangerous. As I prayed I knew that The Lord heard my cry, even when it felt like He didn’t. I knew He knew my heart. I began to pray that I would be uncomfortable. Have you ever felt like you could close your eyes and go through your life as normal? Like your life was so routine that you could maneuver through this life without much thought? Have you ever just watched months pass and just think to yourself, “well, I guess this is it.” That is where I was. I hated it. My heart craved more. I ached for adventure. So I began to pray that I would not be comfortable in that life anymore, that He would send me on a grand adventure.
My prayer journal began reading like some of the psalms, “Hear my prayer O Lord”. I took comfort in verses like Psalm 66:19-20 “…but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” (NIV) I pleaded with God that He would send me. I begged that He interrupt my routine.
He heard my prayer. He answered it.
In what now seems like a whirlwind of God’s provision, I found a graduate program through the Center for Youth Ministry Training and applied for one of their graduate resident positions in early fall of 2012. As I worked I prayed that if this was to be my adventure He would get me accepted, and I would go. Fast forward to Christmas, and I was accepted.
Then I realized that this adventure was real. I prepared to move. I resigned both of my jobs. If you ever want to see some crazy looks; quit a job and cancel your lease; and when people ask where you’re going say, “I don’t know”.
A couple of months later, I packed up a moving truck and drove north to my new home in Alabama.
It has not been easy. It has not been without tears and doubt. But following what God has in store never is easy.
In my short time here though I have learned so much. I have discovered that The South does not encompass SW Florida at all. I have learned that when someone asks, “who ya for?” They mean, Auburn or Alabama. I have learned that replying, “Florida State” to the previous question will get you some strange looks and they will once again ask, “but who ya for?” I have learned that barbecue is part of culture here almost as much as football and Jesus. I have learned what it means to truly be loved by people who barely know you, yet welcome you into their homes and their lives. I have learned to eat a meal by myself. I have learned about the Lord’s faithfulness and his unchanging nature. When everything else in my life has changed in 71 days, He has been stable. I have learned about myself.
So, today is day number 71 in Alabama. Today is a new day filled with the unknown. In some ways this is terrifying, but more than that it is exciting. Now I can say, “…but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!” Psalm 66:19-20 (NIV)
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing” -Helen Keller
Life After Burnout 