trust and take risks

Tuesday, April 16, 2013



with sevilla.  our first christmas in Winston-Salem
When Matt and I decided to move back to Wilmington almost two years ago, we felt so much excitement and anticipation but also a ton of nerves. There was a big opportunity for Matt here and we knew we didn’t want to turn it down. And the chance to live in the same city as my mama and daddy again? Too much for my heart! But frankly, a lot of people thought we were crazy – thought we were making a huge mistake. We had just bought a house in Winston-Salem (as in closed a month before deciding to move), we both had great jobs and we had finally begun to meet great friends. We were making a life in Winston-Salem, or so we thought….

And all of a sudden – boom! Our options had changed and, after many late night pro and con sessions and a ton of prayer, we decided to move home. We knew we had family around and that was huge for us, and we knew he had a job (hence the reason for the move). But we walked away from a lot when we decided to move too. There were a lot of uncertainties. We walked away from a full-time job offer for me. We walked away from a brand new home and a mortgage that we weren’t sure how we were going to make work. And we walked away from a community of friends that we slowly began to build. Good friends. Life-long friends. Yet we knew in our hearts, this was the right decision for us.
walking Wake Forest's campus after a snowy day.  one thing i will always miss about winston.
Flash forward a few months and we are living with my parents, all of our things were packed up in a U-Haul sitting in their drive way, and we were both working full-time. Notice that last part? We were both working full-time. God provided a job for me too! And slowly but surely he began to provide more and more blessings, confirming our move to Wilmington. We were blessed by being able to rent our house, allowing us to move out of my parents’ house and get an apartment. And day-by-day God’s blessings became so apparent and left us utterly humbled.

Moral of the story? Trust God and take risks. Life is too short to wonder what-if. No, our life is not perfect in Wilmington, nor was it in Winston-Salem.  But one of the things I love most about my husband is his sense of conviction. His ability to weigh all options in a big decision and with unwavering confidence, make the decision and move forward. He never looks back and wonders what life would be like had we chosen a different path, because we didn’t choose a different path. We chose this one. He is never concerned with disapproving looks or people questioning our judgment – something I hope he passes on to our baby girl. He always says, “Great things happen when you take risks,” and I believe that with all of my heart. So friends, trust your gut and trust your God. If you are being called to change – make it happen!



2 comments :

Unknown said...

I had no idea about all if this. Beautiful story Denise, thanks for sharing!

Lifes Better Being Southern said...

I am so glad that I found your blog! My husband and I are in the same situation. We have lived in NC all our lives and now we moved to FL for his job and I question it everyday and pray that it is Gods will and whatever he wants for us, that we listen and obey! Awesome Post!!

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