This month our pastor has been doing a series of sermons on being "REZONED." You know – when you design your life one way and God steps in and “rezones” you to His direction.
Don’t know about you, but I have been “rezoned” a time or three in my life. Rezoned from a marriage, rezoned to a new job, rezoned to the path of adoption to build my family, rezoned from one church family to another, rezoned to working outside of the home.
All of these changes have come at a cost. Some cost me emotionally, years of pain, or rebuilding of trust. Some cost me financially, starting over at a new job or being out of work until the right opportunity came along. Some have cost me friendships, when friends didn’t understand the direction I was choosing to follow – God’s, instead of theirs. And recently, as a newly “back at work” mommy, it has cost me some sleep, some peace of mind and a cleaner than now house.
But you know what, even after all these “costs” I find that when I allow myself to be placed where God wants me to be, when I surrender to the unknown and place my trust in Him, these seasons of my life pass by rather quickly and the costs ensued are nothing when compared with the gains.
With every rezoning I have experienced, with every cost that has occurred, I can look back and see the positives, what I call God’s handprints on my life.
As a young woman, engaged to a guy, I was rezoned and found myself single once again. Though hard at the time, this allowed the road to eventually lead me to the man I did marry and the life I have now. It is a bonus in my life that the same guy from so long ago is now one of my greatest friends.
Losing a job through downsizing, allowed me to change my focus, opening up doors for me to serve in several area churches and develop some wonderful Christian friends throughout my city.
Not being able to have children allowed me the blessing of an adopted child, something that is indescribable if you have never experienced it. It is the ultimate picture of God’s love for us and my husband and I are forever changed for having the experience. We are forever thankful for this adorable child we love and treasure more than ourselves.
Changing churches was a huge and hard decision for our family, but one we knew was the right one for us, orchestrated by God. We lost friends who were dear to us, but the gains, though slow in coming have been overwhelming. Our family is at a new level of spiritual maturity, our friendships are different, but their contribution in our life is eternal.
Heading back to work after being a stay at home mommy for four years has not been an experience without adjustment. Truthfully, I am still in the middle of this rezoning project, but I can see the best for my family already becoming evident. Our house may not be so tidy, the laundry may pile up a bit more, but my child is happy to see me in the hallways of her preschool, my hubby is happy with a little extra cash in the bank and I am happy to connect with other moms in similar situations and share some laughter and tears as we all walk along life’s highway.
I have opened this all up for you, not because it is especially pleasant for me to relive some of these experiences but hoping that it will cause you to look at your life, see the seasons of your life where God has rezoned you and add up the positives and negatives. I bet every single time; the good will outweigh the bad. That is just how He works.
Beverly
2 comments:
That was a beautifully written post. Yes, the re-zoning can be painful. But I too have seen the hand of God leading and guiding me and when I look back, the path was always worth the end destination.
(Except maybe for yesterday's mucky path through who knows what kind of water!)
Wow! Once again you have verbalized so well something I continue to struggle with - my will vs. Thy will....You have a gift!
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