“Oh, but you ought to be worried! The thieves in your area don’t break in through your windows or doors. These are ‘high-level’ thieves who come in through ceiling boards.”
For many nights, I lay in bed, looking at our ceiling, haunted. I wondered, “Did we hear God wrong?”
But I’m learning, that as much as it is important to consider the wisdom of “a multitude of counselors” in our decisions, what’s even more important is how we discern His voice ourselves.
For if we look back at our history with God, we can often find clues in the one-of-a-kind, unmissable ways He speaks to us.
For the over-dozen home moves we’ve had to make across 5 countries, I’ve always prayed to be amidst nature. At times, this felt impossible. But whenever we ran out of options, God would always pull out a final home that faced a patch of idyllic green. And yes, after 13 homes closed its doors on us in Tanzania, God presented this last option to us- the only one which overlooks a green field speckled with mottled goats and white egrets.
In Canada, I was homesick. The day we moved into a new home there, the housing agent showed up at the door with 3 pots of orchids, uncannily similar to Singapore’s national flower- God’s special gift. Years later, when we pondered if we’d found the right home in Singapore, our neighbor gifted us a pot of— yes, orchids, again, on the first day we moved in.
And this time? As we faced the same doubts soon after we’d signed the lease in Tanzania, we made an unusual discovery— that the flowers which started blooming in our garden were… orchids- most unusual and rare in the context of Tanzania!
I’m reminded- that when life threatens to shake you up, when the enemy sows doubt and fear into the decisions you’ve made, don’t look outward. Instead, look back, look within and remember the God-signs, His unmistakable patterns, the gentle, undeniable whispers of His heart.
If, you too, have made a decision, and at times, wonder if you made the right choice, I pray you’ll learn to look back and remember the uncanny, undeniable, God-like ways He spoke to you. 💛