Listening to the "Voice of Truth"

"Oh,what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in and onto the crashing waves.
To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand.

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me;
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed.
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again,
"You'll never win..."

Once again, all too soon it seems, another chapter of my life is coming to a close, and a new, undoubtedly more challenging, chapter is going to be played out. Around the 3rd weekend in May, I will be moving to Charleston, SC to start my Masters in Occupational Therapy at the Medical University of SC - a school I honestly wasn't expecting to get into. However, after a month and a half of consistent prayer, I knew that's where God wanted me out of the 3 programs into which I was accepted. Even though the decision was hard, I couldn't be more ecstatic that God is taking me there! Charleston is absolutely beautiful, and right on the beach, of course!

God is bringing me out of my comfort zone again to a new place with all new people and a new way of life to get used to. However, this time around, I will be a little more comfortable and a LOT more trusting of God's plan. When I moved to Charlotte 2 years ago, I was still learning the importance of being outside of my comfort zone - God was showing me that the place we are most vulnerable to His plans and His voice is one that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. As soon as I started getting used to living in Charlotte and being able to accept the hardships of the career world, God reached out and said, "It's time to go, Laura Beth. It's time to begin a new chapter. I have another purpose for you elsewhere and if you're comfortable, you won't experience it as I want you to."

As soon as I accepted my invitation to the MUSC OT program, I began to feel a little uncomfortable and the questions came flooding in - where will I live? Who will I live with? How will I afford school? Will I be able to obtain a part-time job and still have time to study? Do I remember how to study? Will the program be too hard? Is this what I really want to do? Will I find another church? Will I find a group of Christian friends (a vital part of my life that was missing while living in Charlotte)? When will the Navy stop taking their sweet time and let Adam know if he will be allowed to train in Charlotte for the 2012 Olympic Trials and defer from Flight School? (I had to throw that random one in there because we're still waiting for that answer; who knows? Someone from the Navy could stumble across my blog. People in Russia read my blog for goodness sake!). These unanswered questions made me feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable so I found myself praying more intently and digging a little deeper into the Word. Huh...funny how that works: Life feels a little too overwhelming, we open our hearts more to God as we pray for answers, and, as a result draw closer to Him. No wonder He loves to place us out of comfort zones....

The majority of the questions above have not been answered, and it's getting closer and closer to orientation/first day of classes on May 26th. A lot of things are up in the air and unclear, but I try to remind myself daily of the words from The Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns. God has it all under control; All I need to do is trust Him and the purpose He has for me during my next 2 years in Charleston. By just being still and listening for His voice, life can seem much less stressful and overwhelming. I'm so excited about moving to Charleston, and I know the last few weeks I have in Charlotte are going to fly by. It will be hard to leave my friends, my church, my cute little apartment, and most of all - my kids. The 2 years I spent in Charlotte brought stress, pain, hardship, and struggles, but in the midst of all that, God sent me 2 reminders of His purpose while I was here: 1)A unique group of kids who I'm certain taught me much more than I taught them, and 2) a Godly and amazing man who is everything and more I want in my mate when I was certain someone like that just didn't exist.

"But the Voice of truth tells me a different story
the Voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the Voice of truth says "this is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of truth"
-Casting Crowns