I like to plan and make lists. I like to tick off said lists.
In September 2019 my husband Nathan and I made a plan: Move from the U.K to Hamilton midway in 2020. We planned plans, we wrote lists, we checked off lists. Flights, shipping companies, visas, sightseeing before we left, goodbyes. Tick tick tick. All planned. All sorted.
But to point out the obvious – 2020 came along.
All the things we had sorted suddenly had to be cancelled or re-sorted and in some cases multiple times. I know we are not alone - there’s been a lot of life admin and a lot of uncertainty.
God has reminded me again lately as I have reflected back over the last decade or so that rarely ever have things gone perfectly to MY plan. This year is ultimately not a surprise to God.
As we have seen throughout history, He has worked in and through people in the most challenging of circumstances. Recently I heard a sermon where the preacher used the phrase ‘the God of unusually wrapped gifts’ which resonated deeply. The answers to our prayers so often are not what we think they should look like but we trust in who God says He is and that He knows better than we do. While it has often looked different than I would have chosen, He has worked in much better ways in my own life and through this shaped and moulded me.
Despite the journey to get here, we are thankful to be in Hamilton now settling into what our life looks like here. Through all the change and uncertainty, He is constant, He is good and is growing me in new ways as I again choose to trust in Him.
If you find yourself on shifting sands today, unsure of your future, put your trust again in the One who never changes. Our good and faithful God.
