Fear & Anxiety of the Unknown...
The turkey has been eaten, shopping has started, decorations are appearing and the count-down is here. While reflecting on this month of “Thanksgiving” my husband and I have a lot to be thankful for.
I mentioned in my first blog that God had given us two wonderful Christian children, a great Christian son-in-law and an awesome Christian girlfriend. We are so thankful for their strong Christian faith because all in less than a year, both of our children have faced or will be facing “Fear & Anxiety of the Unknown”.
Our daughter and her husband had lived in the same town since they got married. Kacie had been teaching Math at a Middle School and last spring was her tenure year. Chase had been working for the NRCS, but his job was not a permanent job. We had all been praying hard for his job situation. The day Kacie found out she was being recommended for tenure at her school, Chase found out that he had been hired permanently with the NRCS in Cleveland, TN…two hours away. What bitter-sweet joy!
To shorten the story, Chase took the job and moved in with us from April until July. Kacie stayed in Cookeville to finish out the school year and to tie up the loose ends there. This was a scary time for them. Would Kacie be able to find a teaching job in an area where they were laying teachers off? Where would they live? Would it be possible to find another church, especially Sunday School to replace, the one they had enjoyed for three years?
Kacie got a job teaching 8th grade Math. They found a place to live, met some new friends and have found a new church. (God worked it all out.)
We are just a few weeks away from our son, Cody’s college graduation; where he will be graduating from TTU in Cookeville with a degree in biology with a concentration in Fisheries. He has already gotten hired with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer with the Nashville District as a Lake Ranger. He will be moving to Lake Barkley in Kentucky shortly after Christmas to begin his new job on January 18th where he will spend one year in training.
We are so excited and proud for him. God has blessed him with a good job at a time when jobs are very hard to come by. The “mama” part of me wants to move with him and protect him, even though he is twenty-one years old. I know…five hours away is not that far and it is only for one year. The “mama hen” part of me does not always see things clearly. Smile.
He is excited, but nervous and there are lots of unanswered questions: Where will he live? Will he like his new job? Will he be homesick? How will the long-distance relationship with Mel go? Where will he be placed in one year?
This is a time in Cody’s life when he will have to trust in God and turn it all over to Him just like his sister and brother-in-law had to a few months ago.
I am sure it will be a great experience for him. He loves hunting and fishing so he will be living in paradise! God has a perfect plan for his life. And like his sister, when God puts all of the pieces together, it will be great.
The positive part of this is since his “training year” is so far away, he is guaranteed that his permanent lake (which he will be placed at in one year) will be closer to home. (There I go again. It is hard to hold the “mama” back. Smile.)
Sometimes when faced with situations that we have no control over; whether it is a job, re-location, sickness, etc. ---we fear the unknown. God is in control of EVERYTHING in our lives. All we have to do it turn it all over to him. It is such a simple lesson; one that we all know, but one that many times is hard to do. Truthfully, none of us know what tomorrow holds, so we are wise to let go and give God the flashlight, so He can guide the way.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord …” (Psalm 37:23)
”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
I mentioned in my first blog that God had given us two wonderful Christian children, a great Christian son-in-law and an awesome Christian girlfriend. We are so thankful for their strong Christian faith because all in less than a year, both of our children have faced or will be facing “Fear & Anxiety of the Unknown”.
Our daughter and her husband had lived in the same town since they got married. Kacie had been teaching Math at a Middle School and last spring was her tenure year. Chase had been working for the NRCS, but his job was not a permanent job. We had all been praying hard for his job situation. The day Kacie found out she was being recommended for tenure at her school, Chase found out that he had been hired permanently with the NRCS in Cleveland, TN…two hours away. What bitter-sweet joy!
To shorten the story, Chase took the job and moved in with us from April until July. Kacie stayed in Cookeville to finish out the school year and to tie up the loose ends there. This was a scary time for them. Would Kacie be able to find a teaching job in an area where they were laying teachers off? Where would they live? Would it be possible to find another church, especially Sunday School to replace, the one they had enjoyed for three years?
Kacie got a job teaching 8th grade Math. They found a place to live, met some new friends and have found a new church. (God worked it all out.)
We are just a few weeks away from our son, Cody’s college graduation; where he will be graduating from TTU in Cookeville with a degree in biology with a concentration in Fisheries. He has already gotten hired with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer with the Nashville District as a Lake Ranger. He will be moving to Lake Barkley in Kentucky shortly after Christmas to begin his new job on January 18th where he will spend one year in training.
We are so excited and proud for him. God has blessed him with a good job at a time when jobs are very hard to come by. The “mama” part of me wants to move with him and protect him, even though he is twenty-one years old. I know…five hours away is not that far and it is only for one year. The “mama hen” part of me does not always see things clearly. Smile.
He is excited, but nervous and there are lots of unanswered questions: Where will he live? Will he like his new job? Will he be homesick? How will the long-distance relationship with Mel go? Where will he be placed in one year?
This is a time in Cody’s life when he will have to trust in God and turn it all over to Him just like his sister and brother-in-law had to a few months ago.
I am sure it will be a great experience for him. He loves hunting and fishing so he will be living in paradise! God has a perfect plan for his life. And like his sister, when God puts all of the pieces together, it will be great.
The positive part of this is since his “training year” is so far away, he is guaranteed that his permanent lake (which he will be placed at in one year) will be closer to home. (There I go again. It is hard to hold the “mama” back. Smile.)
Sometimes when faced with situations that we have no control over; whether it is a job, re-location, sickness, etc. ---we fear the unknown. God is in control of EVERYTHING in our lives. All we have to do it turn it all over to him. It is such a simple lesson; one that we all know, but one that many times is hard to do. Truthfully, none of us know what tomorrow holds, so we are wise to let go and give God the flashlight, so He can guide the way.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord …” (Psalm 37:23)
”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
No comments:
Post a Comment