If you’re a follower of the show, then you know I haven’t released a new episode since mid-September. Trust me - it was NOT my intention to disappear for two months.

BUT God.

Yep - that one tiny sentence can throw a real wrench in our plans, right?! I was cruising along, thinking the end of 2022 would look one way, when God showed up and tossed everything up in the air and declared a major life makeover.

Want all the juicy details? Hit play and I’ll catch you up!

Show Notes:

God’s Plan vs My Plan
- My plan:
  - Stay at my current 9-5 job
  - Keep releasing one podcast episode per week
  - Spend each Sunday working on the book God has called me to write
    - Original goal was to have the book’s first draft completed by Thanksgiving and then spent that week (which I take as vacation) giving it a good once over/edit as a complete book
  - Sign-up for e-Harmony’s yearly plan and then wait the 6-9 months it will probably take to meet someone
- God’s plan:
  - My immediate manager left to work at Microsoft - and event God used to propel me into looking for a new job
    - By doing so, I realized that (a) it was time for me to move on in my career journey, and (b) I can basically double my salary due to my total experience, the job market, etc. I can also get a job with a culture that better aligns with how I’m wired and that has better work/life balance.
  - After only being on eHarmony for two weeks, I got pinged by C. And it became very clear, very quickly (to both of us) that this was clearly a God thing. That this was the man that God has specifically for me.
    - C meets, and exceeds, the list I had made regarding the traits any future man needed to have that God brought into my life.
    - Both being equipped to run with resurrected dreams which also happen to be our callings.
  - C lives in the state of Washington. I live in Ohio. And so as things quickly took off, and deepened, we began to pray about where God would have us live. And the result of that prayer, and what God has shown us, is that I will be moving to Washington next year - which is dependent on when God opens this next job for me, whatever that is, as it will fund the move across the country.
  - So within just a couple of months, God has begun moving the wheels to change everything in my life:
    - My job
    - My income
    - My relationship status (from single to dating)
    - My home (from Ohio to Washington)
    - And all the things that go along with that
  - This is a season of new beginnings.
Relate Escape Updates
- Podcast has reached 1,500 downloads
- New community members
  - A special shout out to Sherry whose feedback in the group was SO helpful, inspirational, and motivating. It gave me great insights - and confirmation - regarding the content I’m providing through my podcast. And it came during this interim period where I wasn’t quite able to get back to my podcast. (Which was up-lifting.)
  - Join the community here: https://www.relateescape.com/online-community
- The book
  - Working title: The Journey of a Jesus Empowered Woman: Break Free from Your Past and Transform into the Strong,
    Confident, and Impactful Woman God Created You to Be
  - Currently at 19,000 words.
  - Section wise, I’m over a quarter of the way through
  - Going to be picking that back up soon because this is something God specifically called me to do, and I want to see it published in 2023. So stay tuned for further updates.
Key Takeaways
- Dreams can become reality.
  - God cares about our dreams. He cares about our potential. He cares about our happiness and well-being and our callings.
  - God started this year by resurrecting my childhood dream of writing and publishing a book. Then He really blew me away by blessing me with an extremely Godly and amazing man. And now He’s working behind the scenes to bring us together and ultimately build a life together. One where we can love on and bless each other - but also be a stronger force for the Kingdom as well.
  - None of these dreams are things that I initiated. I had completely forgotten about my childhood dream of writing books. I had spent over a decade waiting on God to someday end my season of singleness, meanwhile following Him wherever He took me. And then, suddenly, there was C. There was a Godly man. There was a special and rare love. Other than signing up for eHarmony, all I did was abide in God’s timing.
  - So wherever you are, whatever season you’re in, soak in my testimony today. God is a dream giver and a dream builder.
- It’s okay to lay things down.
  - I didn’t intend to walk away from my podcast for a while. It was just a necessity because meeting C meant dealing with a three-hour time difference; a shifted routine; going through that initial lovesick phase where you can’t focus on anything; and all the things.
  - I just wasn’t in a place to work on my book or my podcast for a couple months. God was doing something else, something BIG, and it required what time and energy I had left after what I gave to the day job.
  - Did it feel weird to just step away from my podcast? When I have been consistently churning out episodes every week except for when I have COVID this past April? It did. Did it feel weird to suddenly stop working on my book which I was really enjoying? It did.
  - In that kind of situation, the world would tell us to push through because if we stop doing, we stop making progress. But sisters, God doesn’t call us to live like that. He controls the results. So I opted to trust Him, knowing that (if He had chosen to) He could have blown up my podcast even when I wasn’t releasing new episodes.
  - God controls the results. And God also builds things that really, truly last. And that means He’s going to, oh I don’t know, interrupt one’s heads down schedule to bless you with a man who truly loves you, and supports you, and will be foundational to your health and happiness. So that when a certain level of success comes, you’re not alone.
  - God considers the whole picture. So don’t be afraid to lay something down for a while, even if it’s something He’s called you to, when He’s working on building something complete and strong that will support and withstand all that He has for you in the future.
- Trust the long game.
  - Before meeting C, I was single for 11 years. I’m not saying that all my sisters that are called into a season of singleness will have that long of a timeframe. But I do know that the healing and teachings and maturity that I’ve gained during those 11 years are already helping this very long-distance relationship to remain intact and successful.
  - That’s not to say that C is in any way bad at relationships; that’s not at all what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that there have been certain situations and conversations where I’ve realized the difference between the way I handle them today versus how I would have handled them several years ago. In other words, I needed to be the person I am today in order for this to successfully happen.
  - And it’s happening with an insanely amazing man. Not a perfect man (just like I’m not a perfect woman). But more than I ever thought possible. Waiting for every one of those 11 years was worth it.
  - So sister, whatever it is that you’re waiting for, trust God’s timing. His plan is always, always better than ours even when it’s really difficult to agree with that. Or see the wisdom in that.