God's Story

I am writing this a few months after the fact, but the story still blows my socks off and each time I share it I still get "chill bumps" as the folks here in the south say.

It was a Friday morning in January. My beloved husband had been reading a book written by Scott Hahn in an effort to try and develop a deeper understanding of his (my husband's) faith. I had been reading a book called Women of Grace since I've been trying to read and learn more about living the life of a Christian wife, what God created me for. As I was waiting for my shower to warm up I was reading a chapter in my book and I heard, what I believe, the Holy Spirit tell me "Dee you and Chris are moving to Steubenville Ohio so Chris can study Theology." In all my not-so-humility I yelled out "What about Virginia" - we had been planning on moving to Virginia for a year and that is where all the big $$ was for him working. Then my first thought was "Oh God, how did Mary answer you in such humility and what have I done?" So I prayed, Lord if this is you, YOU have to tell my husband. Everything I have offered in the past has been shot down. And if this is not you, please make it go away and protect me.

Two hours later my husband called. Here is the conversation:

Chris: "Are you sitting down?"

Me: "I can"

"What do you think about moving to Ohio?"

Silence, then tears.

"What's wrong Dee?"

"Honey, the Holy Spirit told me a couple of hours ago we were moving to Steubenville Ohio so you could study Theology."

Silence.

Silence.

Chris: "Really?"

Me: "yep"

Silence.

Chris: "I'm on the university's web site looking at their Theology page."

Silence.

Me: " I gotta go"

Chris: "Me too. Love you."

Me: " Love you too."

We prayed for the first time together that night, on our knees. And each night after for 2 weeks before we told a soul. A friend knew something was up because we both withdrew from socializing at church. After I explained the generics, she said she would pray for us too. We both sought spiritual advice and it was recommended that we pray for God to block this or make the bottom fall out of it if it is not from Him, otherwise keep going. If we don't follow God's will, who knows what will happen. So that's what we did.

Well, 4 weeks after that Friday we were in Ohio looking at houses and Chris and my step-daughter Danielle toured the campus for new students. We were there for 5 days, drove up and back. Never found a house and I grumbled all the way home. Yep, 15 hours worth, poor hubby.
I thought if God wanted us there then there would be a house for us.

Little did I know. Duh Dee, in God's time not Dee's time. We eventually found a house and it's on the street we hoped to live on. More on the house later.

I used to call this Our Story. I changed it to God's story, because this is about God and His plan. No, we don't know anything else other than we are going to Steubenville for now. I have a deep feeling we will be living there for quite some time. Chris thinks we are going to go back to New Mexico in 4 years. I'm not convinced of that yet. God has a reason for my husband to be in this specific place and I don't know what it is, won't even pretend to, but I do know more than a handfull of people have said "you are going to be a teacher at that college!"

Praise God, Danielle is going to the same school. First time in the school's history a Dad and daughter are attending at the same time. Me, I've been praying for what I'm to do. I feel lost and left out. Through my prayers I keep getting directed to Proverbs 31 and verses that indicate a woman's place is to take care of her husband. So, I figure I am going to be setting up a home for the next several months, then after Christmas I will ask again. {wink}

God's peace~