MOVING

God works in mysterious ways. How many times have you heard that? I know. Me too. But it is true; He does work in ways we sometimes don't understand. The scripture for today says many things to me, but my main focus is on change and trust.

Take our move to Virginia. I don't want anyone to think that Richard and I moved here because we were being worked to death in Spring, Texas. We do believe, however, that God led us here. There are several reasons why we feel this way. This job opportunity for Richard just kind of appeared, and Richard hadn't been told about it because the company didn't think Richard would move his family. He thought about it a little while then mentioned it to me, and we began to see this change in our life as a possibility for growth, not just in our personal development but in our spiritual development as well. Telling the girls wasn't all fun and games, but it grew on them as well. We listed our house and sold it to the first family to go through it. The company was very supportive and cooperative with several trips to look for a home here. We looked at 25 homes in one day. We found the one we are now in, made an offer the next morning and by that afternoon the seller accepted our offer. All of this, come to find out, was the easiest part.

After we got here, the real change took place. We knew in our hearts there must be a reason for God allowing us to come here. Much like the Israelites, we did question God every now and then. Unlike the Israelites, we never turned to another god. We were, however, persistent in our plea for happiness. Now granted, this was more for me than for Richard, but as the saying goes, "when momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." And this momma wasn't too happy.

There were days I cried, but I knew the more I resisted change, the harder it would become for me. I had time to work through some things and take the summer off to learn a few things. Like how to be still, listen, wait, be patient and trust. And then just like God allowed Moses to part the sea, a path was opened for me. I was offered my job as The Church of the Good Shepherd's director of children's ministry.

My new journey has now begun. My question to why we moved here is now answered. I knew Richard would love his job, and now I have one that I love too. I work with and share my faith daily with people who care and want to make a difference in God's world. They, like me, want to do God's will. My journey wasn't easy, and my new journey may not always be smooth sailing from here on out. But I know God is here, and He will always be here for me.

— Donna Hyde

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist