a new adventure.

Since his birth I've staring at the wall of Baby Whit's nursery a lot.  (The chair where I nurse faces it, so...)

Upon that wall are these words...

When I first hung this piece of artwork up, I thought - "This is perfect for our new baby!  It is all about having an adventurous spirit and trusting God and being 'born for such a time as this!'" I loved it and thought it could inspire our babe as he grows up.

But I now know these words were actually meant for me.

You see, recently an opportunity presented itself to our little family.  My husband was offered a position in his company that would mean we would have to relocate to Europe - for several years at least.

Exciting!  Adventurous!  Scary!  I questioned God's timing.  Why would this come about now, when we have a brand new baby?  When we have built solid friendships here and a sense of community - both in our neighborhood and church and beyond? When everything seemed so comfortable and safe?

But as my husband reminded me recently:

"Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone."

Such a great quote.  God doesn't give us our best life by keeping things "safe" - he wants us to trust in Him.  I believe that sometimes He pushes us to our limits so that we learn to trust Him and that nothing else is going to give us his level of comfort and peace.  Not jobs, not houses, not people, not stuff...just Him.

So I sat there in the nursery, butt glued to the chair, breastfeeding our tiny new babe day after day, staring up at the those words in clear, bold black and white font...and it was like God was speaking straight to my heart.

I was born for such a time as this.  I needed to give God room in my life to prove himself faithful.  I needed to let faith, not fear be my guide.  All of it.  Speaking to me.  For this time, about this decision, right now.

Hubby and I are no strangers to adventure, or uprooting our lives.  He moved to Minnesota from Kentucky at age twenty -- and praise the Lord that he made that move...as it led us to meet each other!

Then he moved to Jackson, Tennessee for a job after he graduated college, where he began his career and made some amazing friends.

I briefly (brief as in two weeks) moved from St. Paul, MN to Portland, OR before deciding to move right back to continue to date Paul, and see where our relationship might lead.  Then I moved from Minnesota to Cincinnati after I graduated college, leaving the only state I'd ever lived in and pretty much everything I'd ever known...again, to see if a relationship with my now-husband could work.  (It does!)

We survived all those moves, those big changes, and as I look back, each one enriched our lives in some way or taught us something invaluable. In each situation we had each other, so I guess that says something about our relationship and God's plan.

So, after several weeks of prayer and discussion, and me staring up at that the words of that sign, Hubby and I decided to accept the job and move our family across the ocean.  We will move sometime in early spring!

I have no idea how I'll cope raising three small children in a foreign country.

I have no if it will be good or not-so-good for my mental state.

But those are all uncertainties that I will pray about and give to God.

For those curious we will be moving to Amsterdam. We have traveled there together once,  before we ever thought we would end up moving there.  (Read about that trip here.)

in the city.

in the country.

Prayers would be much appreciated, friends, as well as advice from others who have done the ex-pat thing.  We are both nervous and excited about what life may bring!

Have you ever had to move due to a job opportunity?  

Is there a new opportunity in your life that excites you, but you are avoiding because it seems a bit scary or uncomfortable?

Friend, my prayer for you is to pray, trust, and go boldly!