When God Moves #WilcoWednesday

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Today let’s welcome my friend Shamberly as she shares her testimony about how God moved in her life– literally.

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“We’re moving WHERE??” The words stumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, almost immediately followed by the tears I was fighting with everything in me to hold back.

My husband had walked in the door and in the time it would have taken him to say, “Hi Baby, I’m home,” and tell me about his day, he announced that he had received orders to PCS. For those who aren’t part of the military community, PCS stands for Permanent Change of Station. In other words: *home* is no longer *here* and we’d better start packing.

I’d known it was coming. We’d been at his current duty station for over 4 years, and it was definitely time. Truth be told, it wasn’t the moving that bothered me. It was where. We had been told so many possibilities in the months leading up to this moment, all of which I had thoroughly researched and mentally prepared for, but then, in true Army fashion, he came home with the news that we were going somewhere completely unforeseen. Honestly,  I was a little shell-shocked. I had done plenty of planning for all the known possibilities. I wasn’t prepared for the unexpected.

I excused myself to the bathroom, locked the door, huddled in the corner, and began bawling my eyes out as quietly as possible. Countless thoughts were stampeding through my head: What are we going to do there? We are going to be thousands of miles from our friends/family… How long will it be before we can see them again? No one is going to want to visit us there! We were supposed to be going to [tropical paradise] – at least people desire to go there. We’re going to the middle of nowhere! How could this have happened?!  I fell apart.

I am a planner. I like to know what’s going to happen when and how long it’s going to last. Much to my adventurous husband’s dismay, I’m not the person who just gets in my car and drives around to get lost for *fun*. I can go with the flow – when I plan to do it ahead of time – and it’s hard for me to let someone else take the reins, especially in this military life when my husband is here and there, home, then gone. Having a plan is what helps me stay sane amidst all of the chaos.

This was not in my plan. There has to be some mistake – some way to fix this! That’s when God said, “No.”

My spiritual eyebrows raised…

Umm… Excuse me, Lord, but could you repeat that? I don’t think I heard You right.

So He said it again. “No.” I grimaced.

No, Lord? Really? You can’t be serious. I mean, do You realize where they are sending us? This is not exactly a prime spot. It’s not ideal at all. In fact, forget ideal – it wasn’t even an idea at all until it became reality. This isn’t fair. I don’t want to go there. Why do we have to go there, Lord? You could easily change this; after all, You are the one in control – not the Army. You are far greater and much more powerful than them. You could easily change a few words on a piece of paper! You are the one who orchestrates where we go. The Army is just a tool You’re using in our lives!”

 “Exactly.”

Silence.

Wait. What? 

<Cue the chirping crickets.>

Well, if that didn’t hit me straight between the eyes! In my argument with God, I’d lost my own case. As much as I did not want to go to my husband’s next duty station, God reminded me that He is ultimately the One in control. Yes, the Army issued orders for my husband to PCS to a specific place, on a specific date, and for a specific period of time. But God is the orchestrator of those orders. He is the writer; the Army is just His current choice of pen.

God reminded me that throughout the course of our lives, He has taken us exactly where we needed to be, and despite my own issues adjusting (mostly by allowing myself to hold on to a negative attitude instead of opening my eyes and heart, allowing God to show me what He had for us), everywhere we have gone has been exactly where we needed to be in order to grow stronger in our spiritual walk. He isn’t going to just suddenly forget about us now.

I was overwhelmed with stress, fear, sadness, and disappointment. But God tore down the walls I’d immediately begun building around my heart, and He gave me this verse:

“If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” – Psalm 139:8-10

I was faced with the unknown, once again in this military life, but not really.

Yes, my surroundings would be new, but God would still be there; and as always, all I’d have to do is look at Him. He will make His presence known by continuing to work in my life the way He always has.

Yes, the people there will be new, but God will be the familiar face in the crowd. He will show Himself to me through other people, and as every new friendship is forged, I will be reminded that He is there, intricately weaving our lives together in his magnificent tapestry.

Yes, I will be out of my comfort zone, but God will forever be my source of comfort.

Once God made it clear to me that He truly was – is – in control, peace overtook the fear and anxiety I had initially felt and excitement replaced it all. Instead of being afraid of the unknown(s) and wanting nothing but planned familiarity, God gave my heart new desires (Psalm 37:4). He filled me with an insatiable hunger for that which He was preparing for us in this new destination.

To think I almost tainted the miraculous journey of this new adventure just by losing sight of the fact that God is in control… What wonderful blessings I would have missed out on. You see, as I am writing this, we are already at our new duty station. The PCS is over and we are all settled in. Since our arrival, God has answered many prayers by leading us to a Bible-believing church, bringing new friends into our lives, helping us to be able to worship together as a family more often than before, and He brought us a house that met both our needs and desires.

God truly is in control and He has made it evident that we are exactly where He wants us to be. He paved the way and made a place for us here, just as He is doing in his Heavenly Kingdom. And while we may not know His specific purpose behind this move yet, I know that He is at work in our lives, and whatever He does is nothing but good.

Are you trusting Him today? Are you trusting that He is working “all things together for good” because He has “called you according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)? What is stopping you from trusting Him? What is holding you back from stepping out in faith and allowing Him to carry out His plan for you today?

Are you going to force Him to drag you kicking and screaming (literally or figuratively) to the destination He has chosen for you – the place where you need to be in order for Him to bless you most abundantly? Or are you going to just give in to Him, and let Him lead you, trusting that He does actually know what He’s doing, and knowing that His desire is for your ultimate good?

We always welcome feedback. Join the conversation and leave a comment here.

Remember: He has His best waiting for you. All you have to do is let go of your inhibitions, give up that hindering desire to be in control, and choose to accept it.

Shamberly is an Army Wife who spends her days homeschooling (aka wrangling) her kids, along with their deaf dog and nonchalant cat. She can often be found belting out random bits of her favorite songs and serenading her children at random (sometimes awkward) moments throughout the day, because #1, it makes them laugh, and #2, she has learned to embrace weird – because that is who God created her to be. She loves to try her hand at the creative, from painting to cake decorating to photography and cooking, and has fun, even when something completely bombs. She has a blog that she doesn’t keep up with regularly because life happens daily, but she can be found on Facebook, where you can feel free to share pictures of sunshine, because they have never heard of it in the Pacific Northwest and she often misses it.