Tuesday, July 19, 2011

My Rut Part II

If you've read my previous posts, I've lamented this move from Colorado to Arizona and done a fairly good job of it. So I thought I'd tell you about the blessings about this move and where life was at when the prospect of moving to Arizona was put before us.

Everything was wonderful and awesome and... no wait... it wasn't all sunshine and lollipops...

We were losing our business of 7 years, and heading for bankruptcy. We had started another business, but the economy wasn't carrying it either. So we started another small avionics business, yep we did two different jobs and that didn't cut it either. Danny, my husband, got a call about a business in Arizona that was looking for an avionics man. We at first said no way, ARIZONA. We had plans to stay in Colorado.

So we plugged away at our businesses, going further in debt, growing further agitated that God wasn't providing like he promised and with us working so hard, when the call came again. Still, stubborn as we are, we kind of shrugged it off. God wasn't going to uproot us from our home, he would bring the business to keep us in Colorado. And we worked harder to see that happen, used up our savings, our energy, maybe even our faith a bit, but it never did.

Then the call came again, this time with a precursor that they were going to put out an ad for someone if Danny chose not to accept the call. Still uncertain, or perhaps stubborn, we decided to ask if Danny and our son could work part time back and forth, that would allow us to run our businesses in Colorado and keep our home as well. We could it for a time, it would work. After a year, we'd get caught up financially and we have our businesses going better too. We would plug away and prove to God what good stewards we were and how much we wanted to be in Colorado.

One month into the transition between jobs and states, proved that it couldn't be done. Danny and our son found a small apartment for cheap, and rotated between jobs, Danny would go to Arizona and our son would work in Colorado, they would overlap for a couple weeks in each place, sounds like a mind drain already and a drain on finances as well. And there wasn't enough time or energy to keep two businesses going and work four weeks out of state. Funny, but people like to find someone at the business every day of the week pretty much or they head off to your competitor.

So we let one business go, amazingly, God lined up buyers in the first day. And we cleaned it out in a week. We kept the small avionics business, but knew that while it did better than the tire business, we couldn't keep it forever either. We would have to let it go. And we couldn't afford to run two households.

God wanted us in Arizona. Why... remains to be seen, maybe for rest, for blessing, for more, but he choreographered every step that we took in the journey that got us here.

I do have an appreciation for this move, really I do. We were down to our last dime in savings, stubbornly hanging on with our fingertips waiting for God to move in Colorado, when he had formulated plans for our lives elsewhere.

Will we be here forever, who knows. Ask me how I feel about that right now and you could probably figure out my answer. Ask me another day and... well, who knows what tomorrow will bring?

In my last post I told you that I was relying on God's promises for me. I certainly plan to try. Plan to take hold of what's before me.

I have a new landscape for my home, my writing, my life. Yes even that dirt brown weeded yard is a new canvas on which to make my mark. And who knew Arizona was as rich in history as Colorado? I don't have to watch my husband leave for a month at a time, I get to be with him and some of my family here in Arizona.

See, I may have lamented the move and the fact that I'm living in a new and strange land, but trust me... I can see the Springs in the Desert too.

And gathering from some of the comments I received from my last post, there are some of you wishing to be out of the ruts your life has become. So I pray the same for you. May you find your springs in the deserts of your life. And my you realize that God was there all along.

8 comments:

Christina Rich said...

Tina, if I had the finances I'd fly down there and give you a hug. That's saying a lot since I'm scared to death of flying commercial.

((((((hugs))))))

Hold on to those blessings.

Vickie McDonough said...

Wow, Tina. You've been through a lot lately. I pray that God has wonderful things for you in AZ. For a girl from OK, the part of CO that you lived in looked a whole lot like I imagine most of AZ looks like.

Hugs!!

Anonymous said...

Christina,

Cyber hugs are fine. I understand about flying. It's not my most favorite thing in the world, and my husband works on airplanes.

blessings

Tina

Anonymous said...

Vickie,

Thanks for coming by. I thought Grand Junction and Mesa were pretty similar as well, and they have do have some similarities, they are both deserts and they get hot, but I would say GJ was greener, and a bit cooler because of the mountain breezes. See now when I think of Oklahoma, I think of it to be more like Arizona. Perception is a funny thing.

Blessings

Tina

Stephanie Burkhart said...

Tina, that is an amazing story, but I knew God was working in your lives after Danny got the second call. He may not reveal his purpose for you being there in AZ right away, but there's a reason for it. I fought the call to go to CA, but I'm here now and I'm happy and i have a great family. His reason will be revealed soon.

Smiles
Steph

Anonymous said...

Thanks Steph,

I guess that's something else I can be thankful for. God didn't send me to California. LOL We lived there for ten years while hubby was in the Navy, and I can honestly say I don't miss it.

But it's awesome that you do.


Tina

Unknown said...

that's amazing, Tina, how the business sold the first day. Surely God is with you. Good things are coming. Looking forward to your new series!

Marji Laine - Faith Driven Fiction said...

Funny how God will patiently, gently add bricks to our heads until we figure out what He's asking us to do. We have had some of the same situation. "Surely that's not what you want!" Uh-huh.

Thanks for your post. It's always good to know there are others sharing the same path.