Livin' La Vida Loca: What we have been up to lately

Sometimes that is what the Christian life feels like. Faith doesn't mean playing it safe, and it definitely doesn't amount to a boring life! 

Recently Coach Hardy made the hard decision to leave Mountain View and take a position at Great Atlanta Christian School-this has caused a lot of drama in the community and in our own small circle as well.(Think Friday Night Lights) The Hardys faithfully took the issue to prayer and counsel and ultimately are following the Lord's leading and what's best for their family. Coach Hardy also approached Shane in his decision process, asking for advice and just an open ear, but also expressing that the school said if he came that he could bring one guy with him for sure, and that he would like Shane to come with. 

This then not only became a decision for them, but a decision we would have to make as well. Again, through much counsel, prayer, and learning about the details and logistics, we made the hard decision ( in terms of leaving one community) to accept the blessing of this opportunity and go to GAC as well. ( Two main prayer requests were answered in this opportunity-Shane's masters would be paid for and he would make just enough to where if we did want to start a family I could stay home). 

We were exhausted from the whole process and glad to have made the decision and be able to move forward when THIS happened:

Friday afternoon I got home from work and was looking forward to a weekend where I didn't have to toil over a big decision but I could just relax and recuperate from having 115 twelve year olds driving me up the wall all week! I was putting things away and Shane announced that one of our college friends had secured a coaching job at Wheaton. I was so excited for him and made a joke that it would be fun when in 3 years Shane became a coach there that they could work together.

Shane answered "That would be a miracle, I mean I know God can do anything, but for me to make that jump from high school to college ball, well that would be a miracle"

I smiled and gave him a look like "yeah, well anything can happen"

Not 3 seconds passed and his phone rang- at first I only knew Coach Sandberg from Wheaton was calling and then I heard Shane say "Yeah, I'm sitting down. . . . ."

A miracle had happened. A coach from Drake University in Iowa was interested in hiring Shane as his Safety's coach and Recruiting coordinator. 

Shane and I were both floored. Shane didn't even have his masters degree yet and yet here is a Coach at a division I school wants to hire him? It didn't makes sense, but in that moment we both knew that God was saying "Yes, I can do anything, and I can create a miraculous opportunity out of thin air whenever I want to"

We thought we knew which direction to run in-and now we were simply confused!

 

 

Everyone around us that didn't know us very well felt it was their duty to remind us that staying here was more stable and simply a better (immediate) move financially. Of course this was said by many teachers (and no offense to those reading out there that are teachers along with us), but we have both found that many teachers (okay people in general) seem to stay in the profession for stability's sake-and to be honest, that is just not how Shane and I want to live our lives.

 

I once heard this quote in a sermon, "Faith is taking a step so far out that in order for you not to fall it would take a miracle." How many of us are really willing to take those steps? Whether it is taking the "risk" of being open about our Faith or sharing it with others, or making a move that puts you in a position to have to fully rely on God's miraculous provision?

 

Shane and I have definitely been fighting this battle. It hasn't been easy and our emotions have ranged from frustration, fear, anxiety, confusion, and shame. Shame because God has never let us down, and we have years and years of his faithfulness, his faithfulness to all saints, and the faithfulness he displays in Bible to rely on, yet we still waiver and question his goodness and if he is really looking out for us!

In the midst of the emotions that battled with each other we also strived to keep the perspective that we were blessed to have to great options before us, while others right now have no options. 

 

In the end we just wanted an answer, we wanted to know which direction to move in, instead of half of our brain and emotions going one way, while the other half pulled us in the opposite direction.

It took about 2 weeks of phone calls, phone interviews, and negotiating for God to make it clear and close one of the doors. and 2 weeks later here we are looking forward to the next few years staying in GA seeing all the Lord has in store for this next chapter. 

 

I am so grateful that God brought us on this faith journey and drew us closer to him. In the end it was about our hearts. I grew to be at peace with leaving if that was what we chose, and Shane grew to be at peace with staying if that was what we chose-and ultimately the Lord transformed our hearts before we ever even made a decision. 

Letting God have the steering wheel and take you where He wants is a scary feeling-and I mean sometimes is shamefully scares me to the point of high anxiety and fear-but though we all have those moments of weakness in the end I am comforted to have a God that knows our needs and deepest desires and can move mountains if it is his will. 

He is sovereign and I am eternally thankful for that!!!!

Thank you to everyone who has faithfully prayed for us through this long process of faith growing!

-M.W.