A 6,000 Mile Bump in the Road

Life is not a smooth ride, what do you do when you hit a bump?

My friend Linda and her family are going through a “bump” right now.  Her military husband was just notified that he would be receiving a 2-year posting in South Korea (his 3rd overseas post in 7 years).  Linda had thought they were through with overseas postings, at least for a while, and yet suddenly she was faced with another family upheaval.  If you or someone you love has served in the military, you know how tough this can be for all concerned.  It would be easy to respond with bitterness or fear, but Linda has handled this with such grace that it’s been truly humbling for me to witness.

Linda didn’t let fear or bitterness take hold.  She says, and firmly believes, that even though she doesn’t know what the shape of their lives will be over the next two years, it will be “a rewarding and life-giving adventure.”  In the wake of the news, she worked with her husband to make some practical plans for their family (she will move back home while he’s away to be closer to family and friends), but has been ever open to God’s direction.  And in fact, God is showing Linda that there may be a more of a role for her than anticipated.  It’s becoming clear to Linda that she may have a significant opportunity to minister to military spouses overseas, and she and her husband are adjusting their plans accordingly.

Linda can be flexible with her own plans and her own life because she trusts that God is big enough to handle even the worst that life can offer.

As working Christian women we hear and think and read a lot about “balance” and “time management.”  Which makes sense, right?  We have a lot on our plates and it takes some effort and energy (and strategy) to manage it all.  But if we’re not careful, “balance,” and “management” can easily take on too much significance.  In the midst of what feels like chaos, it’s tempting to hold them up as a kind of magical cure-all for life’s twists and turns: “if you just plan carefully enough, you can keep everything under control.”

But of course you can’t really “cure” or control life.   It’s full of unexpected joys and sorrows and twists and turns.  It can’t be managed into submission.  If you try, you’ll waste a lot of precious effort and energy, and ultimately you’ll fail (and if you’re like me, you hate to fail!).