we have a lot in common...minus the cool name

i've known this day was coming for about a month and a half now but can i just confess to you that i'm not quite sure i'm ready for it. today is my last day in the office at work {sunday is my last official day but today is my last "in the office" day} and i can't even begin to describe my emotions. i'm sad, nervous, excited, overwhelmed {hello...i've known i was leaving since august 11 but i've yet to really pack anything?! can we say a mixture of being super busy and maybe some denial?!}, and anxious to see what the Lord is going to do. none of these emotions cancel out my complete assurance and peace that i'm doing exactly what the Lord has called me to do but it doesn't mean it's not hard.

in fact, sometimes {who am i kidding, most times} obedience is difficult but it is worth it. that little fact seems to be the lesson of the month {or month and a half} for me. you see, somewhere along the way i'd forgotten that obedience isn't always easy {stunning revelation, i know} but God doesn't promise an easy life, does He? don't get me wrong, our life is very blessed and we are more thankful than we can express for all that the Lord has done and is doing in our lives but all these changes are still hard. sitting here this morning thinking about obedience and all of it's challenges, the Lord reminded me of a guy named abram. in genesis 12 God gave abram the command to "go" but that's all He gave him...no maps, no details, no gps, just pack up and go. can you imagine?

i can. i know that i'm no abram :) but i do feel as though i can identify with him just a smidge. i know, clearly as i'm sitting here typing, that the Lord was very clear that it is time to pack up and go from the place i've been for the last 5 1/2 yrs and i don't know the next step of my journey. i think one of the most important truths to which i have been clinging is that i may not know the details of the next steps of my journey but i DO know the God that is leading me and i can trust Him.

God is God. because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. i will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to. ~ elisabeth elliot

even though i lost some cool points, it was worth it

i know, i know. i promised to be more consistent in blogging but........life has just been so busy lately. the last several weeks at work have been full of ups and downs with stuff going on AND THEN you know, the whole process of wrapping up my time in a ministry that has been such a huge part of my life for five years {but we are not going to discuss the whole leaving thing right now because i'm totally pulling a scarlet o'hara and planning to think about it tomorrow. or, the next day}.

the one thing that has seemed to be consistent over the last few weeks has been the overwhelming presence and work of the Lord in our lives. there have been many times joel and i have had to just sit and stare at each other because we were in such awe of the way the Lord has been at work on our behalf or the way we have seen His hand at work. while ending this season in my life has been very difficult, i would not want to be in another place...having the privelege of seeing the Lord at work on our behalf has been humbling and exciting. so, while we are sad to say goodbye to so many people we love, we are confident that the One who called us is faithful to do all He has promised to do!

in other non-serious/spiritual news, joel and i met his parents for brunch yesterday at a cute little local restaurant {toast} and in an unusual turn of events, we were early so we decided to drive around the town of huntersville to kill some time. we stumbled upon a cute neighborhood with townhomes and noticed that the neighborhood wasn't just cute...the street signs were hilarious. {well, at least to us.} of course, i looked like the biggest weirdo hopping out of the car every other street to take a picture of the street signs with my cell phone but if i hadn't sacrificed my cool factor, you wouldn't get to see the pictures...so, it was a trade off i was willing to make. :)