Guest Post - Covered in Grace

Hello fellow fans of Big Apple Mami!! I'm so happy to be here today and to get the opportunity to meet you all. My name is Brooke, and I blog over at Covered in Grace.

At Covered in Grace I write about everything from my Faith in Jesus to my love for hiking and the outdoors to my wannabe photog skills to family and more. I hope you'll stop by and check things out!

If you've ever spent any time on my blog you'll know that I am a Texas girl, through and through. And you'll also know that my family is a nomadic one. We have moved around the globe (five times) over the last eleven years. Now, we are standing on the brink of one of the most significant changes that our little family of four will ever have to make. My hubby will be transitioning from a blessed and exciting military career into the realm of civilian work and we will be moving, yet again. The thing is...we don't know where we're going yet. And the wait is driving me ca-razy!

So that is what I want to talk to you about today. Waiting.

In the military, yes we move a lot, but we also know what to expect. There's a particular order to things. They happen the same way (usually) every time. Your change of station/base date draws near, you get orders telling your where it is you'll be going, you schedule your household goods to be packed and shipped, you out-process your base, and then you leave. There really is more to it than that, but you get it...

This time, however, the military isn't telling us where we're going. We're going to be entering what non-military families like to call the "real world." (Because we've been living in the fake world?) We know when we want to move (and where we want to move-Texas), when his enlistment in the military is over, but there are no marching orders for us. Instead, there are job interviews, hours upon hours spent researching potential cities, schools, neighborhoods, communities, traffic patterns, crime rates...the list goes on. We actually get to choose where we'll live for the next ten years. What a concept!
Except that...it's just not that easy.

Our plans, something that I learned a long time ago are not always ours to make, hinge on one gigantic tiny little detail. A job offer. And that's where the waiting comes in. We're just waiting, and waiting, on the papers to come. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say that currently, we know those papers are on their way (woo hoo!) and that they'll take us to one of two places... But I've felt like I've been in limbo now for a long while. I've been watching the mail box like a starving hawk, just waiting for the light to shine on the next chapter of our lives. Any of you that have ever been expecting any sort of big news know exactly what that feels like. It is tiring. It is draining. It's mentally and emotionally exhausting.  But....

The only thing that is keeping me any sort of calm throughout all of this waiting is remembering that God has great and mighty plans for me and family.  He has always provided for us. Trusting him and his perfect will have been so important to maintaining my sanity... as well as a key element in my spiritual growth over the last several years. Learning to let go my anxiety and fully and completely trust in God has been a process. I have to constantly ask for his guidance and strength to carry me down the right path.

This next big change has been no different. You remember, I said that I've been going nuts just waiting on our destination to reveal itself. I get worried that things will be rocky, ends won't be met, things may not work out, etc., etc... and then I get that nudge. That still small voice that calms my soul and brings me rest. It's My Jesus, telling me that he's got this, that I needn't worry, that my path is already laid out.

What I realize, what he's telling me, is that no matter where we end up, no matter what those long-awaited papers say, it will be the right place for us. I know this. I trust this. All the waiting...even though it's nerve wracking...is like a refining fire, fine-tuning my ever-changing, ever-growing faith and understanding of my God. The waiting is a tool. The waiting is necessary. And it is in the realization of this that brings me peace and confidence.

So now, as I sit here still waiting for those marching orders, I can rest in the knowledge that Jesus is taking me right down the road I am meant to be on. I'll stop asking, "are we there yet?" and continue enjoying the ride. This is just another bend in the long, beautiful road...and I do have the best of company in Him.

I want to thank Kristina for having me here today. I really had no idea where this post would go as I sat down to write it. I am always surprised where I end up when I begin with a blank slate. =) I'd love for you all to come and visit me at Covered in Grace. You are ALL always welcome. Find me also on Twitter-there's always tons going on there. See you soon!

Brooke,  thank you SO MUCH for sharing this today! I remember feeling this on some levels back when we were waiting to hear where God wanted us in NYC. It's so hard to wait and trust, but also so wonderful!! I am so blessed by Brooke and her beautiful heart! If you haven't visited Brook's blog yet, I hope you will! She's amazing!! 

xoxo
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