The Beauty of Not Knowing Whats Next:
Often in life we have a plan for our life that is embedded in our minds. We have a set process of the way things are "supposed" to go. We know that once we do "that" then "this" will happen. Well the beauty in this great world we live in is that sometimes what you were going for doesn't happen and you end up doing something completely different but it's just right.
Although God does have a will for our lives, we have the ability to freely choose what we do with ourselves. If you want to go be a doctor, you can go to school and become a doctor. The options are endless. God speaks in the Bible that he knows the plans he was for us in Jeremiah 29:11.
You might wonder why I see beauty in not knowing. Everyday life is made up of a series of choices that we make which bring us to certain places where an unknown something can intervene for the worse or better. You never know what's next.
I just recently left a job working for a great company to pursue a new trade. I left my job for a lot of different reasons. But I made the choice because it just felt right. I started to work for a roofing company and everything just seemed right. The man that hired me told me all about this outstanding pay, spoke about the work like it was the Holy Grail of jobs, treated me with respect. Seemed right. So I took it. At this point I thought I just hit the jackpot. Gave up a solid job where my pay was a 1/3 of what I was making before. Now I'm suddenly "making" 6x that in a month. Who wouldn't be jumping and celebrating? So as I work for this new job. Everything seemed to go great until I was shown an unethical way of business to make more money. I was told it was the 'norm.' So I took part in that and I just felt like trash in my spirit and heart. So I went from a super high to a low. Then following that a huge storm hit Colorado. This was seemingly perfect. Kendra and I couldn't have been any more delighted at this point. I finally can work a storm with over whelming roof damage. Another "perfect" scenario. So I traveled there. Started off great. Made good friends. Business looked incredible at this point. Kendra and I decided to move there because it had seemed perfect. Almost like it was meant to be. As I'm there I receive calls from family and wife saying that something about the guy I was working for just wasn't right. They prayed about it. I prayed all about it way too long. I was in a position to sign a non compete with a man that has misled me in ethics and also lied about his pay structure in very large margins. So I refused to sign the document. I couldn't sign knowing I'd be stuck in business with a man I couldn't trust. So now what? Well. My coworker and I decided to just look at starting our own company. At this point, I'm still moving to Colorado. Kendra is preparing for it and everything. Everything seemed right. Well guess what? Turns out starting a company in a week isn't that easy on a whim. Makes me laugh looking back at it actually. What options did I have laid out now? None right off the top of my head, so I prayed about it. I then remembered by friend I went to Bible college with which it just so happened t that he too owned a roofing company. I had been in communication with him for a while on and off but could never meet up. Timing is everything and it must not have been time until that call. He was so understanding about where I was at. And on that mountain top in Colorado everything changed. We talked of plans to continue working in Colorado and move there. All was rolling great at this point. Kendra was pleased. I was excited to be able to finally work with the new company. So as we continue to plan out the move. We start selling our possessions here to make the move light. We moved out apartment into my boss's unfinished rental home. This was just a temporary home with no rent until we could launch the business in Colorado. What a blessing. So momentum is building for this great journey. I begin building an incredible brotherly bond and friendship with my boss. He is a resolute man who knows and lives on the understanding that without God he is nothing. He gives God the glory in all things. Talk about an amazing man to be in business with. After working together for a couple weeks preparing for the move, he invites us to coffee. I had a premonition what it was, as he spoke he said that God has placed it on his heart to keep the company where it is. This meant no Colorado. Uh oh. What now? My wife and I just sold everything. We were dead set on going. But guess what? At that point we could've made the choice to go regardless and figure it out. We were saddened by it, but in it we were strengthened because when you obey God you know there is something bigger on the other side. We have now continued work by staying in Tulsa and business is amazing. Kendra and I now have a home instead of an apartment practically handed to us for an amazing deal, courtesy of my boss, who conveniently had rental homes
Could I have predicted any of this? Absolutely not, but it is beautiful. When you trust God, you can't be concerned about all the details. You just need to trust Him. Know that all things work together for our good. That His words are true. That His mercy and love is unending.
Kendra and I have grown so much through this. We have grown stronger in love and trust. I couldn't be happier with where I am at right now.
Don't worry about the unknown. Just know God has control. You still have to make choices. You still have to work hard. But if you operate in faith and walk in the spirit then just trust the process and be thankful because you never know where you will end up. Garth Brooks has it right when he says, "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."
