Sometimes God puts us on a road that seems to be taking us further from our dreams.

For example, last spring,God called me to write a book. Then several months later, in addition to job hunting, He placed me in a long-distance relationship and called me to move across the country. As a result, I had to set aside Relate Escape for over a year.

But guess what? God wasn’t being illogical. His plan is just bigger than mine.

Join me as I share what God’s done since the move; how it aligns with my calling; and how you, too, can walk that long, windy road - and trust God - even when it feels as if you’re literally moving in the wrong direction.

Show Notes:

• Intro

• Why, hello there sister! Now, as you may have gleaned from the title, this episode is #3 in a three-part series. If you haven’t listened to the first two episodes, I highly encourage you to do so when you have a chance. In the meantime, though, you can dig into this episode without fear of being lost. I’ll provide whatever context you need.

• The Facts

• And, really, the background context is fairly simple. Let me break things down into a simple timeline:

• February 2022 - God called me to write a book, resurrecting a lost childhood dream

• April 2022 - God told me that my decade+ season of singleness was ending

• May 2022 - I started writing my book

• August 2022 - I met C, who lives in Washington, on eHarmony.com. Also that month, God prompted me through certain events to start looking for a new job.

• November 2022 - God called me to move to Washington

• April 2023 - I finally got hired at my new job! Which provided the needed funds to move

• May 2023 - I took a week-long vacation to Washington, partly to see the area once before I move (despite having already signed a lease)

• July 2023 - The actual move happened, with myself and my greyhound arriving in Washington on August 4th

• Now, while the first item on this documented timeline is a call to write a book, that quickly took a backseat - just like my podcast. I had to temporarily put those things down, simply due to time and energy.

• Job hunting is almost like a second job in and of itself - and from start to finish, that process took nine months. Then I entered into a long-distance relationship that required a lot from me. Plus, I had the raw end of the time difference. And when the job hunt finally ended, I spent the next several months acclimating to a new job while also diving into a very lengthy to-do list in preparation for my vacation and the long-distance move.

• Not to get all nerdy. But if Spock was listening to this episode and what I just said, he’d be raising his pointy eyebrow and firmly pointing out the illogic of it all.

• Because, from our perspective, how does that make sense, right? Why would God call someone (aka me) to resurrect a childhood dream and write a book - only to then orchestrate several major life changes that require said person to (for the most part) abandon her writing for well over a year? Not to mention her podcast that she’d been updating regularly?

• You want to know the answer? Because God’s ways aren’t our ways. They’re infinitely better. Let me explain.

• God’s Way

• When we (as humans) have a goal in front of us, our focus tends to be on things such as the timelines, specific tasks, etc. Especially if, like me, you’re very Type A and a super productive individual. 

• And that’s where I was when God called me to write a book. I took the logical, necessary steps. I nailed down the topic. I created an outline. I set-up my Google Doc file. I established some writing goals. And I got to work.

• Makes sense, right? God calls you to do something and you obey by tackling it like a boss.

• The thing is, though, God isn’t just focused on the end goal - or the timelines and steps that you’ve established to get there. He’s also focused on you. He cares about you.

• If God has given you a dream or a calling, you can bet your bottom dollar that He has big plans. He has people He wants to save, free, transform, love on, etc. And He’s calling you to partner with Him in order to achieve the specific things He has in mind. You may never see the full effect of your calling, whatever that may be, but you can rest assured that He’ll multiply your fishes and loaves to a far greater degree than you could ever imagine.

• But on this journey with Him, God also wants to change you too. For the better, of course - though sometimes the road feels a bit rough. He wants to heal you, transform you, stretch you, deepen His relationship with you, show you what you’re truly capable of, and take you to heights you never thought possible. (Just to name a few possibilities.)

• Which means…God isn’t just focused on the project or work within the calling. He’s also highly focused on doing internal work within you. That’s a top priority - more so than the calling itself.

• Think of it this way…it would be really cruel of God to call you to something and then fail to prepare you. And that preparation can entail things such as: healing you from old wounds; resetting mindsets; freeing you from lies of the enemy; turning your focus from the past to His character and the present and future He’s calling you to; etc.

• God loves you more than anyone else. It doesn’t matter how big of an impact He wants to make through you. He’s not going to put you in harm’s way to do it. He’s not going to call you to something and then allow it to be too much because you aren’t ready.

• And - if you’re willing to trust Him - He’s not going to let you settle.

• My Story

• And this is where we segway back to my story. Remember that timeline? And how - with all those life changing events - it felt like I was getting further and further from my dream? My book? My podcast?

• Here’s what I’ve learned - and what has happened - in the two months since I’ve moved to Washington.

• Firstly, as I explained in the previous episode, I suddenly broke up with C after being here only a month. Partly because, after receiving some disturbing communication from C, God explicitly told me to leave C in His care. Two days after receiving that directive, through a Christian friend back in Ohio, God told me to “pour into my podcast.”
  
  God immediately turned my focus from the relationship that had reached its end back to my calling and creativity. And so here I am, happily doing podcast episodes again.

• Secondly, God may be opening up an opportunity to fund the self-publishing of my book. Long story short, my Ohio friend also told me that God had something for me at this particular restaurant that I had mentioned to her. (One I wanted to try.) At the restaurant, I found a flier for a local arts organization which then caused me to do a regional search for other organizations. And lo and behold, I discovered a grant program that I could apply for that could, if I was approved, provide the several thousand dollars that I need to self-publish my book! (Talk about getting a lot closer to your goal!)
  
  As of this recording, the awardees haven’t yet been announced. So, I don’t know yet if this is truly something that God is opening up. But even if I’m not selected, writing the grant proposal caused me to devise a timeline and marketing plan. It got my focus back onto my book in the general sense.

• Thirdly, you can’t put new wine in an old wineskin. Back in Biblical times, folks stored wine in bags made of animal skins - such as goat skin. Now, wine is fermented - which means it expands. Thus, if someone poured new wine into an old wineskin (which would’ve already been stretched to its limit), it’s likely the wineskin would burst. Or, at the very least, leak.
  
  Where am I going with this? On a recent call with my Ohio friend (who God is clearly using in this season), she brought up this specific concept while also talking about how God has a lot of blessings in store for me here. (Though He has yet to reveal them!) And it instantly made sense to me.
  
  Sometimes, when we’re moving from one season to another, very different season, God needs to place us in a new area. In my case, that turned out to be geographical as well as internally.
  
  The geographical is simple, right? He moved me from the only general part of the country that I’ve lived in (that being Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania) to the West Coast (where I never would’ve naturally considered moving to on my own). In short, He physically uprooted me to uproot me from my old life or season. And He uprooted me to a place with majestic mountains and breathtaking nature. (I’ve lost count of how many people remarked with jealousy when I mentioned I was moving to Washington.) If He wanted to push me, internally, into a place of naturally (no pun intended) aligning with this next season, He put me in the right place.
  
  Internally, the move has done several things. For one thing, it caused me to clean house - literally - and start all over. Moving 2,000 miles is expensive. So to do it in the most economical way possible, I sold most of my furniture - most of which was 10 years old, being back from the days when I got my first apartment after my divorce - and pared down my belongings to what I really, truly wanted to take.
  
  Then I bought new furniture in Washington. And guess what? I’ve upleveled my apartment’s overall decor. My surroundings now match the current, recently advanced in her career, may be a published author soon woman that I now am.
  
  God made me clean house - literally - so that things could be remade to align with where I am and where He’s taking me. And while this may sound trite on the onset - aka talking about furniture and decor - any woman knows how much the home affects her internally. Her mood, her well-being, etc. I mean, if it wasn’t true, the numerous home improvement shows wouldn’t exist.
  
  God is getting ready to do new (probably big) things…and He knew the wineskin needed to be replaced. New locale. New home - from the style of apartment to the look and feel within. A design refresh to align with the life refresh. An uplevel to align with the things He’s about to do.
  
  In short, out with the old! In with the exciting new!

• Wrap-up

• And that’s love, right? That’s a God who cares about you so, so deeply. Who wants you to reach your God-given potential - even if you can’t see it. Even if the road He currently has you on feels like it’s taking you further away from your goals and dreams.

• But, again, we need to remember that God isn’t just focused on the stuff. He cares about us. He wants to set us up for success. He wants to give us blessings - not curses. So, like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, sometimes He takes us along an unexpected route that feels like it will take longer for things to happen.

• But how much longer will they take if we’re not ready? Because, again, God’s not going to give us something without preparing us. If we’re not open to trusting Him; if we think He’s making a mistake; if we choose to plow through with whatever we want to finish regardless of His plan…then, also like the Israelities, we’re going to end up walking in circles for a very long time.

• It’s not just about creating goals and completing tasks. Living our calling or God-given dream requires trusting God. It requires taking risks. It requires following Him into the unknown. It requires putting His plan before our own.

• Because His plan is always bigger. Always better. We may not see it. But that’s what faith and trust is all about. As Jeremiah 29:11 says: “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

• I’m not one to correct the Bible. But sister, He has a future even beyond what you’re hoping for. Don’t lose sight of that. Stay focused on Him - and you’ll be surprised where you end up. (Like, say, the Pacific Northwest!) Cheers!