Howdy, y’all! Did you notice my Texas accent? As a recent Lone
Star State transplant from the Show-Me State of Missouri, I’ve been told to avoid
the use of my preferred “you guys” in any sentence. The use of such words, the
advice goes, would surely label me a Yankee and mark me as an outsider in the land of bluebonnets. I can
honestly say that I’ve used both “you guys” and “y’all” and (so far) everyone
in the biggest state in the union has treated me with tremendous kindness. I’m
happy to be here. But why am I here?
That’s been my question this week. Why did God uproot me and
my family and move us to Texas? He gave me a very nice marketing job at a wonderful
and storied institution of higher learning. He gave us a place to live, rent
free, while we try to sell our house in Missouri. He answered prayer and led us
to a church and a caring community. But the question still lingers. Why am I
here? Simply to work? To live?
For the past two months, I’ve been stuck in transition mode.
Now I’m becoming more introspective. I feel there’s got to be more to this move
than a great job – albeit a job that rescued me from a life of daily stress and
discouragement. Is God positioning me, my wife, or my kids for something? I’m
anxious to find out. There’s danger in that, I know. Danger in looking so far
ahead that you miss the obvious blessings in front of you. Danger in looking
for something and then, once it’s found, realizing the challenges are more than
you alone can bear.
If you pray, please pray that I can focus on this moment and
be thankful to God for all of His blessings.
In the meantime, I will continue to explore our new state.
Y’all have a peaceful evening.