Gas Station Bathrooms
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When we left Dixon on Sunday to head to Lincoln I was under the impression we were going to find a house. Yet, here I sit on Friday, back in Dixon, houseless. God had different plans for our time in Lincoln and honestly it has taken me a few days of processing to see what He was up to.
It all started in the bathroom gas station in Omaha. I headed in to the bathroom and right away I noticed a young girl, maybe 24 nervously pacing around. She started to ask me where I was going and if I lived around there so I just started talking to her. She continued to fill me in on her situation and seemed very confused. She was waiting on her boyfriend whom she left days prior to drive and meet her from California. Over all this girl just seemed a mess. I asked her if I could pray for her and she accepted, so in the bathroom of a gas station I prayed for Natalie and encouraged her that Jesus loved her. I have to say this was out of my comfort zone, big time, but I knew the Lord was leading me to do it. I gave her some money and let her use my phone and we were on our way. Looking back I could see how God used Natalie to show me my new role, the new season of my life, reaching out to the lost and the hurting, to those who are in need of Mercy.
Relationship seemed to be the theme of the trip, not actually house hunting, because over the course of next three days we met and connected with so many people and were even invited to eat at two different people’s homes. The highlight of the trip for Matt was pretty interesting as well. We decided to go to the ballpark (big surprise) to watch my niece Emma play softball. On the way there Matt was very, very concerned about the fact that he hadn’t had a good trip to the barber in over 6 weeks. He was really missing Jamie’s Barber Shop. He decided this needed to be a matter of prayer, so he asked the Lord to help him find a barber. As we are standing watching ball a guy walks by Matt and says, “that looks like a Hensley cut”. Matt was quick to stop the guy, only to find out he knew a barber who does cuts like Matt’s and actually calls himself a “beardsmen”. An appointment was made and I imagine, a relationship began. I of course stood there shocked that the answer to the hair cut prayer was answered only hours after it was prayed. It was however a sign to us from God that He cares, we had read a scripture that morning before we left that encouraged us as we start our journey to Lincoln not to worry, that he cares about each detail of our lives. (Phil 3)
While we were there I interviewed with Lincoln Public Schools. As we were finishing up our time together, the interviewer, Marla, says to me, “we have basically just been waiting for you to get here so we can offer you this job.” This was an open door from God. After visiting the school I will be working at and meeting the amazing principle and vice principle we also decided that is where the kids will be going to school.
We were pretty disappointed after being declined on the only house we liked and Tuesday was rough day for us, but Wednesday we decided to drive around and look for more rentals. We found one close to the school the kids and I will be at that we really liked. It turned out the realtor who showed it to us was the brother of a kid Matt was friends with in high school. Relationship. We haven’t heard back yet about the house, but I realize this morning that God has got a plan, he has bigger things in mind than just a place for us to live.
All along this journey we have felt in our spirits to go through the open doors and we have done just that. We still however have to remember not to get hurt by the closed doors. It is easy to get disappointed when a door closes that you thought was the one to be opened. I know now looking back that the closed doors were closed because God has something different in mind. Revelation 3:7 is a good reminder to us, "This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:” All of us can get stuck mourning over closed doors, so much so that we miss the open doors the Lord is trying to lead us through.
My encouragement from the weekend is to look ahead, to move forward and stop feeling badly about the doors that have closed, perhaps even slammed in your face.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your paths.”
Pr. 3:5-6
Continue to follow our progress at
