When JP's Auntie Annie and Uncle Rudy gave him the book, "Goodnight Cowtown" for his birthday, it was sure to be an instant hit with our family. You see, the Love Family called Fort Worth 'home' for the past six years. It was easy to fall in love. After all, Fort Worth is where the West begins. It's the city of culture and the cowboy.
As I reflect on Greg's calling to seminary, I remember saying during our conversation, "I don't care
'what' or 'who' may be at Southwestern Seminary, I don't feel like we are being called to move to Texas." Well, look at us now - six years later. I am SO grateful for the short time I had to call myself a Texan.
Along our family's journey, we've encountered various experiences and emotions. For one, I've given birth to all three of my children in Texas - each of them little miracles. Interestingly, when we transplanted our family to Texas from Alabama, I was seven months pregnant with Joshua - our firstborn. The backstory is that during an early second trimester appointment, we discovered our precious baby had multiple lethal anamolies. The prognosis was our little bundle had little chance of survival outside the womb. Today, Joshua is buried just down the road from Southwestern Seminary.
I'll never forget following the affirmation we were to move to Texas. Scared is the appropriate adjective. Greg and I left the security of two stable incomes and a community where "everybody knows your name" to move to a foreign land without any of the aforementioned comforts. I was scared that I wouldn't find a compassionate doctor willing to work with a complicated case. But, here's the deal - GOD WAS AND IS STILL IN CONTROL OF EVERY SITUATION. At the end of the day, God worked all things out for His glory. We were blessed beyond measure with jobs, friends, and a physician - Dr. Steven Seligman of Omega OB/GYN - that cared for us in big ways. God heard and answered our prayers.
Now, as I face the transition to another "foreign land" in the Tennessee Valley of Alabama, several questions pepper my mind each day. Who will my new friends be? Who will take care of me like Dr. Seligman? Who will be a pediatrician like Dr. Martin? The answer lies in a simple faith definition I learned through mentoring. "Faith is choosing to believe the Bible is true, regardless of your emotions, circumstances, and/or cultural trends." Here's the deal - ALL of my anxieties about moving are in the Lord's hands. The same God who was Jehovah Jireh (The Lord our Provider) in Texas, will be the same to us as we transition to Alabama. It reminds me of an old hymn chorus - 'Have faith in God, He's on the throne...Have faith in God, He watches over his own.' Can you hear it? Let's not worry about today when God is in control of tomorrow.
Goodnight Cowtown!
www.goodnightcowtown.com
Coming soon: Fort Worth Favorites
Pics photographed at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary by Ben Peacock
www.benpeacockphotography.com
