I have never been a “go with the flow” type of girl. I would love to be, but in order to go with the flow, I need to know when the flow starts, what is scheduled for the flow, and what approximate time the flow will end.
I like things to be predictable and familiar — which is why it was out of character for me to accept a summer internship seven hours away from my home: somewhere I wouldn’t know anybody and where I would be on my own for the first time. To make matters more stressful, I’m getting married in two months, and my scheduled return is 3 days before my wedding. So not only am I in an entirely new situation, but I’m planning a wedding long-distance in the midst of it.
Weighing the risks
So why did I do it? Why did I uproot in the middle of a huge life change? A little bit of it was a desire for adventure. A chance to see what it would be like (and what I would be like) if I went somewhere new. But mostly, it was my desire to continue my career and education with a company that would pour into me spiritually as well as push me to be the best at my work. As I counted down the days before I left for my internship at Focus on the Family, familiar worries clouded my head. I worried if people would like me or if I would be good at the job; but after only three weeks here, I am seeing how God’s hand guided me to the Boundless team.
Too often, I enjoy sitting in the “comfortable.” I prefer doing comfortable and familiar work in a comfortable town that I know every corner of, hanging out with comfortable friends whom I know will be easy for me to get along with and talk to. But as I took the risk and jumped into something that was not comfortable for me to do, I realized the absolute blessings that God provides when we enter something a little uncomfortable. When I embrace unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations, I am invited to find my comfort in the Lord.
The One who never changes
As I go through this season of change, God is showing me that He is the only constant I can rely on. As I walk into unfamiliar territory, He remains all powerful. When I experience loss and struggle, He remains just and good. When I am confused, the Lord is all-knowing. Hebrews 13:5b-6 says, “For he has said ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?’” These verses have been a reminder for me through the uncomfortable. The Lord promises to never leave me, and therefore I have nothing to fear.
I am excited to rely on that promise and see the wonderful things God has in store for me while working at Boundless. I am surrounded by a wonderful group of 35 other interns whom I am honored to work with and am getting to know. I am experiencing new things, especially going from flat, farmland-filled Kansas to the mountainous city of Colorado Springs. I have discovered my love for camping and hiking, and I am trying a variety of new foods with my new friends. I would have never known how amazing this experience is if I hadn’t had the courage to trust God and go.
Where is God calling you to trust Him? Is it in a new move? A new job? Relationship? Ministry opportunity? You are not alone; God is there.
And so is a girl in Colorado planning details for a Kansas wedding in between work deadlines, intern activities and phone calls home.
Copyright Vallie Weis 2023. All rights reserved.
