Tell Us a Story...

Thank you for sharing, Amber!

I totally understand that frustration and not understanding why we can't pursue our dreams. For three years I've wanted so badly to move where I'm moving now. I prayed about it, but the doors always remained firmly shut.

This year when I was out there for a friends birthday, I just *knew* I needed to be there. And I prayed so much. My strongest memory of that weekend is going for a walk by myself and just begging Him to open those doors for me so I could live there.

Within a month, I had a bunch of interviews lined up for jobs in the area. And there have been a few moments since where it seemed like, from the circumstances, the doors were closing and it wouldn't happen... something turned it around.

For example, just after I returned home from my interviews, my car had a massive breakdown that was incredibly expensive to fix. It took nearly all my savings to repair it. I even emailed the family I wanted in BC and apologized because it looked like I wouldn't be able to to afford moving after all. They emailed me back with a slew of options to get me out there anyway, and then I wound up getting more work from my family here than I expected to. I'll just be squeaking by for a month or two, but its affordable now. And it all turned around within a week of me giving up hope. It amazed me. Still does.

All along I'd been keeping my best guy friend there updated with texts saying, "I'm moving!", "I'm not moving " "I'm moving again!" And with the last one he just texted me back and said, "No more changing your mind! BC is irresistibly calling you!"

I think the reason God had me wait for so long was because He wanted to bring me into a situation where I *knew* beyond the shadow of a doubt that He was the one pulling the strings. I wasn't making anything happen for myself, He was the one taking me there.

Story currenly in progress... Will say when it's over.

Toro wrote:

Well my story is rather boring, a ton of bad choices, illegal substances, people I knew dying, bad women and one day waking up at the bottom with no where to look but up.

Real and beautifully said, Toro.

Amber.ly wrote:

So the end result was that I did stay. I'm in the same rough job, in the same area, and still missing out on a lot of my East Coast family's life. Heck, I could have been neighbors with Mary if I had moved to Virginia! But you know what- I'm where I should be. God sometimes tells us to go or to stay and maybe never lets us in on the "why" part of it but trusting in what He has planned is all that is asked of us.

The story of my life being "stuck" in DK while all this time I have been wanting to move to the Netherlands. I am still asking why but now I have surrendered this area to HIM who knows the best. Actually, I can move ANYWHERE HE leads me. With gladness, I can say "send me."

God will bless you for your trusting heart. He knows why you are where you are and that is a reason enough to stay.

little_tigress wrote:

I think the reason God had me wait for so long was because He wanted to bring me into a situation where I *knew* beyond the shadow of a doubt that He was the one pulling the strings. I wasn't making anything happen for myself, He was the one taking me there.

Amen.

*Moved to the General Discussion Forum*

I think God has been continually using me since the year I was 16 and lost my grandmother. Since that day God really taught me that I needed to put my faith in Him rather than people, rather than my grandmother, which I had done for many years. I didn't realize how much I truly depended on her and looked to her instead of God. It wasn't an easy couple of years... I went through depression, self harm, eating disorder. I was definitely not the person I am right now back then. And I never told anyone about it.

So along that process I not only learned not to rely on people rather than God, but I learned that sometimes it's okay to ask for help (asking for help is still a struggle) and looking to God first was what He wanted from me all the long.

I'm definitely still growing and I know God is still teaching me things everyday. Especially with what I've been going through right now. I'm not sure exactly what the reason is, but I have a deep feeling in my gut that it has something to do with me being so obsessed with my health and not thinking I'm beautiful. I could be wrong but it definitely got me to stop and think... I have been so obsessed with running and losing weight that I don't stop to think that I've come long way and that I should learn to love how God made me and work on doing things in a healthier way.
And also how much he'll bless me even though I'm going though so much. I'm so thankful for the people who He has put in my life that have helped me in their own little way.

And though I'm still insecure about the way I look, on the car ride home from my interview yesterday, I realized something. We are definitely more than the people we see on the outside. We're more than our skin color, eye color, face shape, hair color, weight, race, and our builds. Those who know me know that I'm easy-going, laid back, goofy, and sweet, but there were was a time that because I was covered in acne, had crooked teeth, and was almost 200lb I was unapproachable. And even though I looked that way, I did the same thing to others that looked "unappealing" to me. But God has been showing me to look at their hearts like others took the chance to look at mine. To get to know the person before I my flesh wants to judge their appearance. I want to wipe the thoughts of what society thinks is "the perfect person" based on appearance, and learn to see how God sees.

Some great stories amber, pink and LT.