So by now, lots of y’all have probably already seen the news about Nathaniel and I moving to Florida. If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be living in the closest thing to paradise as you can get in the continental US, I would have laughed in your face!
Our move was definitely NOT something that was planned. However, Nate and I have been praying for well over a year now for God to reveal what He wants to do in our lives – and whether that meant a move to another place. Being in the ministry (and growing up in a small town) is tough. Especially when you have a certain style of worship, many times you can feel that there are teeny, tiny walls that start to build up, and it’s harder and harder to break from those when there aren’t alot of options to move around.
On New Years Eve, Nate got a call from a Pastor of a church in Florida that had randomly visited our old church two years prior. He remembered Nate from his visit and wanted to reconnect about a position that was open here. It was definitely out of the blue, but we decided to go and meet with he and his wife after he asked us to just “hear him out”. I had no idea that that conversation would lead to us moving from the only place we’ve ever known not even 4 months down the road.
When we came to visit, we absolutely fell in love. We’ve been vacationing to this area since we were both infants, and it’s no secret that we are DEFINITELY “beach people” but being here and seeing it in a new light, a light of it potentially being our new home, brought a different sense of feeling.
I don’t know any other way to describe it other than, it just felt like home. We knew it was the right move from the moment that we said “yes”. We’ve been praying and praying and… praying some more, for answers about where we’re supposed to be, and God provided exactly that – in exactly His timing. He was ALL over the details, from the tiniest, to the biggest. It was, and still is, incredible to see.
I keep telling Nate that normally, I would be a basket-case about this – and it’s true. My personality type is one of control and I struggle from anxiety. But ever since our conversation, and our decision to move, I had my one big “cry” moment, and never looked back. It is an undescribable sense of peace that I truly believe has come from the Lord. He knew that I would need it, and the best way that I can describe it is feeling like there is a “shield” of peace, that could only come from Him, surrounding me at all times. It has literally made me feel like I am floating – almost like going through the motions, and not given a moment to really think about the monstrosity of the move. There are definitely things about home that I will miss (my immediate family and friends) but this peace has been a blessing from God.
Not only was this move a big thing for us, but having to deal with a global pandemic, LITERALLY, right at the start of our move week, has been something for the books. Trying to navigate through all of that is just another reason why I feel that this move has been blessed by God, because that is the only way we’ve gotten through. However, I’ve begun to see the hidden blessings of our move happening during the world shutting down. We didn’t get to see many people or loved ones before we left, but in essence, I think that was the best possible thing for us. It’s hard to say goodbye, and this prevented us from having to feel that immense hurt and pain with everyone at the end. It made the transition even that much easier.
As I must admit, it has been torture having the beach in your backyard and not being able to go (we literally left a stay-at-home order, and came right into the new one as Florida established their shut down the day we got here!) it has been so good for Nate and I to have this time to spend together and get used to our new surroundings. We’ve been able to explore, and to take the time to just chill and digest all that the past 4 months has given us. The time I’ve been able to spend with him has meant so much to me.
I am so excited to see what the future holds for us here, and for what God plans to do through our lives in Florida. Out of all of the places that He could have sent us, we couldn’t have been more thrilled to answer His call to paradise.
