The unexpected journey: the journey continues through 2015 and beyond

The new chapter has begun—finally! I did not run out of gas last week. In fact I did well enough with the insurance that I was able to fill up without any concern at all. I began training for my new position last week. It was the first of seven weeks of training. I cannot remember the last time I was disappointed that a training class concluded, but that is what I experienced at the end of each day. It has been a breathe of fresh-air given our journey over the past two-years. I continue to work selling insurance; which makes for long days, but long days with an end in mind. Over the weekend I took the family for a tour of the campus where I am training. It was a joy be able to show them my new environment knowing—as much as you can know anything in this life—that this will be permanent. On the way back from the campus, I was able to do something I had not been able to do for a couple of years. We got lunch from a fast-food place! Granted I had them order from the dollar menu—the budget is still bare bones—but the entire family ate out. What a treat! I have noticed several things about this past week. The first being the layer of onion—I spoke about it in the previous blog—being pealed seems to be gone—at least for this season. The second thing that I have noticed is that I must be careful not to slip back into familiar habits, like being cocky about being in a certain position. I understand the temptation of the enemy of our soul to slide back into that, which is comfortable. It is a temptation that must not be overlooked or taken for granted. I also understand that life is not sunshine and lollipops. We are still living with my mother-in-law, driving one vehicle that has nearly 200,000 miles on it and have our belongings in a storage unit 600 miles away. The beauty of this new chapter is the fact that we are together as a family; walking in this new season without regret or worry and optimistic about what the future holds. There remain things tucked in my heart—things I believe that Father has placed there—that must remain there for now. There are some family challenges that are in front of us that are being faced together rather than being buried to fester into something worse. I say this to remind us that our journey is still one day at a time. Our trust remains in the Lord as our focus remains on His Will being accomplished in our lives. It is His joy that is our strength and His glory that must fill our temporal house.