My husband sent me a text one day with a quote, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be.” He thought this was quite fitting in reference to our current location, as we never intended to end up living where we are now, at least not long term. We moved here with a plan to live here 2 to 3 years and then move on to the next adventure. But, we have now been here 10 years and it doesn’t look like we’re leaving anytime soon. We are so happy here, even if we never expected this to be home.
I started thinking about how this applies to other parts of my life as well. I never in a million years saw myself as a mom of three boys. I’m an only child, so to say I had not idea what to do with a boy would be an understatement. Seven years and three boys later, it feels more natural than anything I’ve ever done. I spend at least 2 nights a week at a ballgame, countless hours with hot wheels and legos, and too much time cooking to even count. I drive around with a baseball bag, a first aid kit, and at least a handful of action figures in my car at all times. This is all uncharted territory for me.
I also never thought I would end up working in ministry. This is not because I had a path already chosen (I still don’t feel like I’m grown up enough to make those kinds of decisions), but I just didn’t feel quite qualified for God to put me in this field. I felt like children’s ministry was a job for people that knew all the answers and always did everything right. But here I am, not knowing the answers and messing up a lot. I’m trying my best to listen to what He has to say and following my path.
I guess my point in all of this is that you may not end up where you thought you were going. That doesn’t matter. God knows where you’re going and how to get you there. Instead of trying to make your life look like you thought it would, spend your energy in being where you are. You just may find yourself happier than you ever imagined.