Hi all, here we are at Week 13. With Easter fast approaching, I hope you can find some time to slow down and remember the weight of Good Friday and then the great hope of the resurrection. It feels apt that this week's story includes a new start on the horizon. I was trying (and failing) to remember exactly where I first met Kathryn, who has written something for us this week. Wherever it was, I have known her about 10 years and throughout that time she has been a stalwart of the local community. I am sure her story about God's guidance will be an encouragement to you all!
In Kathryn's words...
This is a story about a small episode in what is, for us, a big life event. We’re moving house, away to the other end of the country and it’s all been a bit uncertain and potentially stressful so far. I’m so glad that I know that God has a plan to prosper me as sometimes recently it’s been a little tricky to see how that’s going to work, even though I know it will.
I work for a Christian Charity and we start every morning in prayer. I have handed in my notice, reluctantly, and the team know I’m house hunting. The other Friday I had a half day off to go looking for a new home over the weekend, so when my boss asked if anyone wanted prayer I took the opportunity. He jokingly said, ‘I pray for all the motorways to be blocked and there to be no houses for sale...’ He didn’t mean it; it’s nice to feel wanted and he went on to actually pray for my trip. However by the time I left work the M40 was shut, the M25 was blocked and the M1 was crawling at the part nearest where I live. We needed some creative map reading to get our journey started.
I guess you’re thinking that this was not a journey God intended us to take but actually once we worked out where to go, it took the same amount of time as if we had gone the usual route. God is gracious but clearly wanted to tell me something!
We hadn’t intended to move house just yet, and not to the area we are looking in, until we saw one particular house that captured us. It started us wondering what we were waiting for, so we went for it, sold our house and started negotiations for the house we’d seen. And then everything stopped. And that’s where the uncertainty has come in – is it the right area, is it the right house, should we even be moving? Just make it clear, please!
Well, I think that in answering that ‘prayer-that-wasn’t-a-prayer’ He showed that we are heading to the right area but So we spent the weekend looking around places we might not otherwise have looked, at houses we might not have viewed, asking questions we might not have asked and I think we’ve come back with a new excitement for what is to come and a firmer conviction that this move is part of His plan. It’s also prompted me to think about how taking ‘the road less travelled’ might, as per the Robert Frost poem, ‘make all the difference’ in other ways. I don’t fully know what that means yet but I’ll wait to hear from Him.
Kathryn is the Family Manager at Restore Hope, a Christian Charity in the beautiful Chess Valley. She lives with Jack, has 2 grow up sons and she loves walking, tea and chocolate, not necessarily in that order.
Thank you all so much for reading this story of God connecting with his people. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Until next week,
Lovely to read Kathryn's story. I hope we get to hear the results of God's plan for this part of her walk with Him at some point! ❤️