Trusting God With the Next Step

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,and lean not unto thine own understanding; In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 
Proverbs 3:5,6 

Over the past year, I have felt a season of change entering my life and to be honest, it has been quite scary. I have been a stay at home mom for 19 years now. I have homeschooled my two children for the past 14 years. One graduated in 2020, the other one is currently starting his junior year. Our plan is to finish the last two years of his school at home. I knew the time would come, when my this season of my life would be coming to an end. It ushers in some sadness, but also joy in my heart. I am proud that we have made it almost to the finish line and we couldn’t have done it without God’s help. I miss the early days of teaching them, but it is also a gift to see the young adults they are becoming. I have been so blessed to have been at home all these years with my kiddos. The time spent and relationships that have blossomed because of it are priceless. But the winds of change are near, and it causes my heart to grow anxious of what the next step for this momma will be. I’ve always trusted that God will provide me with a sense of direction when the time came and my responsibilities at home were not needed as much. It is a hard thing to do as a parent, to loosen the grip we once held on so tightly with our kids. Our ultimate goal is to raise them to know Christ, to seek him and live a life for him, but also to raise our kids in a way where they don’t need us, they become independent individuals. That has been a hard pill for this mom to swallow, but it is a must. I trust God with the next season for not only my kids, but myself. He has proven to be a faithful God so many times in my life.

After I did my tandem jump in June, the interest I had for planes and flight just ignited. I thought to myself how cool would it be to find a job where I could be around the thing that interests me. Even though I have had side jobs here and there to help with the income coming in, there would be a day when I would need to enter the workforce once again. I have always been able to be here for my family’s needs 24/7, so the thought of that changing really caused me to be anxious. I didn’t want things to be different, but I knew at some point it would and not being easily accessible to my children was probably not a bad thing after all. My daughter is finishing up her program at tech school, and the next step for her is finding a job. My son will be getting his drivers license soon, so my days of being his chauffeur would be ending. Time spent at home during the day would lessen as they start to venture out, showing their independence, and living out their own lives. Thinking of this season, it often left me with the question of “What am I to do next?”……

One day I couldn’t get this one place off my mind and I had a nudging to shoot them an email to see if they had any part time positions open. I knew it was a long shot, the place is a local plane museum called the Beechcraft Heritage Museum . A big facility which is supported by it’s members, but not a lot of employees. To my surprise, they emailed me back in a few days asking what kind of work was I looking for because they might just have something. I was shocked, but then again maybe this was something God was leading me to. We exchanged emails, and the next thing I knew I get a call for a interview. I was so excited, but soon after I started questioning what in the world was I thinking! Was I ready for the next step that I felt God leading me too? Change is always scary. The next few days, mom guilt washed over me. I really struggled with a wave of different emotions, but pushing those aside, I couldn’t help but feel like this was the path God was leading me down. My family supported me and reassured me it was all going to be okay. They could tell my heart was somewhat unsettled. I went to the interview and within a week, I got a call and an offer for a part time position. I couldn’t believe it. I sit back and sometimes God just leaves me in awe at how he works things out for us. I felt that I had to move forward in this process and trusted that God has a plan. He always knows our heart’s desires and if we trust him, be obedient and patient, he opens doors that we never expected. I have been at this job now for two weeks. The people are great, I like my job, the facility is beautiful. I get to meet visitors from all over the country. Did I mention I am around planes all the time? I get to hear them fly over and see them while I am working and it just puts a big grin on my face every time. It takes a lot of discipline to not run to the big windows in the museum and press my face against the glass to see each one I hear, but I have managed to show restraint. I also get to see sky divers occasionally and it reminds me of my own experience and the hope of doing it again one day. I am intrigued with the history at the museum and it amazes me how God led me to this place. I am here for a reason and I am excited to see where this leads. I trust him, and I’ve learned to trust the process we sometimes go through to end up where he wants us to be. Sometimes it takes overcoming fear and worry, pushing ourselves once again outside of our comfy zones to realize just how amazing his love is for us. He is an wonderful Father and provider. He has a plan for each of our lives, and too often we miss out on the gifts he has prepared for us simply because it requires an extra dose of faith and obedience.

No matter what your next step looks like, grab hold of Jesus and don’t let go. Trust him with the journey you are on. The smooth roads, the bumpy ones, and even the detours we may meet are opportunities for us to experience His love, grace, and mercy. He promises to never leave us or forsake us, and he has kept that promise in my life, time and time again. He truly is a way maker and when we can’t see how the next part of our journey is going to pan out, I’m glad we have a God that we can trust and lean on. Nothing in our future is a surprise to God.

Keep moving forward,

Hayley W