Remembering a Milestone…
Today (January 23) marks 16 years since something pretty significant happened in my life - I quit my job, packed up my things (I didn't have a lot), and moved from Australia to New Zealand. I had never been to New Zealand and I didn't know a single person, other than someone I had briefly met months earlier. Why did I make this move? I had been seeking God about ways to get to know Him more, and through a series of events over many months, God opened a door to study at a Bible college here.
I initially thought that I would be studying for 2 years, however, 2 years turned into 3, and 3 years turned into indefinite as I met and married Rebecca, and began a life in ministry. All of those things were very unexpected, but once again, God opened the doors.
A lot has happened in life in that time, and this place has become my home, in fact, I've now spent over 40% of my life living here (I'll let you do the math as to how old I am ). As I reflect over these last 16 years, and the journey leading up to coming here, I can see God's hand in how He led me here. I believe He led me here for many reasons, too many to elaborate on right now.
It reminds me of a verse in Proverbs 16:9 - "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." It's great to have dreams and desires for the future, in fact, I believe the Father wants us to have dreams and desires. But, we also have the amazing opportunity to dream WITH Him. Together, Father and son or daughter, we can walk forward into the future, letting Him lead and guide us. Sometimes that path can seem scary, intimidating or difficult, but He is a good Father, a good Shepherd, and only has good things in store for you and I.
Interestingly, as I write this, it has occurred to me that the day I moved here was January 23. The number 23 has been standing out to me a lot lately, and He has been constantly reminding me of Psalm 23. As you probably know, this Psalm tells us that the Lord is our Shepherd, leading us down good paths to green pastures and still waters. He restores us. He leads us through the dark valleys, and we even get to feast with Him in the presence of our enemies. This is all available when we let Him lead us and guide our steps.
My encouragement to you today as I share this is 2-fold: firstly, why not take some time today to reflect on how He has led and guided you through the seasons of life? If you are not sure how He has, just ask Him to show you. When I stop and do that myself, I find that it fills me with a deeper sense of hope for the future, because I know that He has been with me, He will continue to be with me and I can trust Him. Secondly, why not ask Him to show you if there are any areas in your life where you are struggling to let Him lead you. It might mean letting Him guide you down a path you didn't expect, but when we do things God's way, it works out so much better than we can imagine!