By: Angelique Redus-McCoy
Two years ago, my family and I moved from our hometown to a city that, quite truthfully, had never been on our radar. I left a job that I loved and where I felt loved. We left the home where we started our family, a home I could’ve lived in forever. We left our extended family, support systems, our church, our village. But to be clear, we did not move away from troubles. We moved on…to break free from our comfort zone and live out God’s plan for us. It wasn’t easy though.
I am a planner at heart. Planning makes me breathe easier, helps me navigate life’s journeys and gives me a semblance of peace. Along the course of life, I always accepted that God’s plan for me ultimately ruled, but it was easy to accept because He and I typically were on the same page. That changed two years ago.
As we neared our breaking point, I had to learn to take a deep breath and BE STILL.
My husband and I both work in fields we love and feel passionate about. A few years into our marriage, we hit our stride with thriving careers, a beautiful home, two kids, vacations, and an active social life with friends and family. Life was pretty good. Then my husband found himself with an opportunity to move up – if we moved away. Now was his time – but he wouldn’t – couldn’t- soar unless I was there alongside him.
When he first presented the opportunity to me, my initial thought was, “Um no…we’re good.” And we were. But who says “good” is the endpoint? I could not hold him back from his dreams – even if that meant I would need to redefine mine. Ultimately, the decision was easy, although I knew the journey would be challenging.
As it turned out, in a whirlwind four months, we moved our family and started upon our new adventure. Unfortunately, I quickly found myself in limbo – trying to recreate a plan without a firm sense of where I was and what I wanted.
In retrospect, I should have enjoyed the freedom to explore our new possibilities. Instead, the lack of a clear plan quickly stressed me out. After the first several months, the tension between my husband and I grew and almost suffocated us. He felt guilty for putting me in a position in which I had to recreate my career and adjust to a life without the support of our family and friends. On the flip side, I volleyed between being proud of him and resenting him.
But God! As we neared our breaking point, I had to learn to take a deep breath and BE STILL. God did not bless us to this point in our lives to leave us hanging. He challenged us to grow into HIS plan for us. Leaning on the joy that persisted in my children, accepting my role as the rock that my husband needed through this transition, and remembering that God’s plan always prevails, I found peace in being still and letting God be God.
Soon, the dots began to connect and the hints of possibilities God had placed on my heart began to come to fruition. My husband is soaring in his new position and I am settling into the exciting next phase of my career, which my previous experiences had perfectly prepared me for. We are finding creative ways to stay connected to our loved ones and opening ourselves up to new people in our lives. Most importantly, my husband and I have grown closer, having to lean more directly on each other to open our hearts to God’s bigger plan for our family.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” So now, even as we have begun to set new goals and plans for our family, I am confident that our path is being directed by God and that any divergence from our plans is an opportunity that He has orchestrated. His plans are always bigger than ours and in that we find peace and look forward to a prosperous future.
Angelique Redus-McCoy is a Midwestern girl with a new Southern address. She is a board-certified pediatrician, caregiver at heart, but a writer deep down in her soul. She is currently crafting Act II of her life as a 40+ Wife/Mama/Daughter/ Sister/Friend/Dreamer. You can find her at www.facebook.com/angelique.redusmccoy.