Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Change Up Ahead!

I greatly dislike change.  Now little change such as redecorating a home or the seasons changing is great.  But the big things are just too much for me.  Change makes things feel chaotic and I do not like to feel that way!  Well I am in for some big changes.  All good changes but changes nonetheless.  

Recently I blogged about making decisions.  I chose to obey God and follow where He leads, but, that means change.

Our pastor is moving on to do a church plant.  He has asked my husband and I to go with him.  We will not have to move as the new church is actually closer to our home than where we are now.  We are very excited and know God has great things in store.  Again, that means change.  For the past four and a half years I have attended the same church as my family; my parents as well as my sisters and brother and their families.  I love attending church with my family!  I love that my kids' grandparents are right there with them.  I love seeing my niece and nephews at church.  Leaving them is a big chaotic change for me.  I have good friends at my church.  Sweet sisters that mean so much to me.  I am a very quiet person and because of that it is so hard for me to make friends.  So leaving behind my friends is a big chaotic change. 

I had no plans to share any of this with you.  But I felt God telling me to share my heart so I am going to be very transparent with you today.  I have really wrestled with this.  I know what God wants and I deeply desire to obey Him.  But I have still struggled.  In the beginning I felt as though God were taking me away from everything.  My family I leave behind will still have each other.  The friends I leave behind will still have each other.  I won't have that.  It hurt.  It hurt seeing my parents hurting that we were leaving.  It felt too chaotic to me.

God has gently reminded me of several things.   Obedience is expected and rewarded.  He has amazing plans for us in this new place.  Obviously He is not yet done with my family and friends in the old place.  God has called my sweet sister and her husband to step up as the pastors of the church and I am so very excited for them.  I will miss them but they will be excellent pastors and God has great things for them here.  While I am leaving my family, hallelujah, my family are all Christians!  What an awesome thing that I can say!  As I mentioned above, I am not actually moving.  We will still live in the same place.  Close to our family and friends.  And, after turning my feelings over to God, I still feel chaotic about it, but God has given me a sweet peace.

God keeps bringing to mind one of my favorite songs.  Santcus Real's Whatever You're Doing.  The chorus says:
    Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly
When things feel chaotic or unsure, turn it over to God.  He has big plans for us.  His plans are never to harm us but to prosper us (Jeremiah 20:11).  I know that through all of this, God has something wonderful in store for for all of us; my husband and I, our pastor, the new church, the old church, my family and my friends.  

Friends, let's learn to trust God.  He has great things in store for us!

Sweet Blessings~
 


14 comments:

  1. I too am feeling very chaotic today. Just all out of sorts about these changes. I'm excited for the changes but I am ready for them to be done so we can start moving forward again. Thank you for this sweet sister and I will miss you so so much.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Changes can make us feel this way but there is only one thing that counts. That is the obedience to God. He only moves us out like this to make things better for us, He never makes things worse for us. Good luck and blessings to you and your family for the obedience to God. We will pray for you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm not a big fan of change either. I am very routine oriented and yet God sometimes challenges us to leave our comfort zone for Him. I am eager to here how God uses this step of faith in your life!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Change is never easy but when you look back you will see all the blessings you gained from taking this step of faith :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for sharing from your heart, Jenifer. When I heard that Pastor was leaving and that you guys were going with him, I had the feeling of being left behind. I never consider that you would feel the same way. I KNOW God has some awesome things in store for all of us and we will be blessed for our obedience. Just gotta keep saying "yes!"

    ReplyDelete
  6. The verse about leaving behind the old so that you can claim something new comes to mind! How exciting! Those unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone places are the times God really has to show up. Jumping into change with two feet forward is what faith and biblical obedience is all about! Some people may think its insane...but dont let anyone normalize you! Stay on fire for God. How awesome yall are truly following Jesus!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Jen,
    I hate change, too! I feel for you. The last move we made was from a church where my hubby was Associate Pastor and our son and his wife and two kids attend. I hated leaving them behind and now we seldom see them, we didn't move from our house or city, either. It was hard, but it was right. God will give you peace and as you say, he wants to bless. There is reward in being in God's perfect will.
    Hugs, Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow Jenifer, that is a big set of changes for you to be sure! I applaud you for listening and following God's prompting to make this step, and will keep you and your family in my prayers that He continues to guide your path.

    Have a Blessed Day!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can completely understand how you feel. My church is like my family. It would be so hard to leave there and start over in another church. It is amazing how God puts us in different situations to watch us grow. Sometimes he does this when we are very 'comfortable' with our life, situations and surroundings. It's then that makes these growing pains so hard! I blogged a little today about something similar. I'll say prayers for your easy transition. I'm sure God has amazing things in store for you and your family!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing! I know it can be hard to make a change. This is the second blog post I've read about the subject. Most folks don't like it, but it comes anyway as things never stay the same. Enjoy the adventure He is setting you upon and I pray that you'll find peace in the journey!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I stumbled upon your blog today and so glad I did...change is hard..my husband and I too are in the midst of change..we are attending a new church and wonder what God has in store for us..but we do have to remember that God is not taking our friends away he is expanding our new friendships in the works..our old friends are still there, they are just meeting somewhere else on sunday morning..God is good he didn't move us to another country just down the street..Have a blessed day..

    sherry

    http://splendiferousgirlsclub.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Change is so hard for me too! I will be praying for you and your family during this transition. I know God will amaze you by all he has in store for you during this time of change.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sherry, thank you for stopping by!

    Thank you to everyone for the prayers. Your prayers are appreciated. In return, I pray for all of you, dear friends. Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Here GROWS the Kingdom again, through the obedience of His faithful servants. Hell shakes as Heaven rakes...in the souls that is! In your future you two will hear: "Well done good and faithful servant...

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by and leaving your thoughts, I love hearing from you.