Another New Chapter
I can't believe I'm saying this. My name is Laura. I am a stay-at-home mom of an only child-- a preschooler, trudging through adoption paperwork, married to the soon-to-be lead pastor at Calvary.
I never would have imagined this would describe me. As summer ends and fall rolls in, major change is brewing!
Okay, let's start with the biggest new role. After an intense, two-year process, Calvary affirmed the call for Paul to become the lead pastor in September 2016! What an incredible answer to prayer this has been. The process has been long, challenging and rewarding. We have grown under the pressure as individuals and as a family. I wish I could say that my faith shined over these past years. Or that I never doubted God's hand in this process or sovereignty over the outcome. My insecurities and anxieties were often much more obvious than my faith. I spent more time preparing for the what if's (what if this doesn't happen, what if we have to move or what if we have to start over) rather than realizing that even if (this doesn't happen, we have to move or we have to start over) God is sovereign and can be trusted. These years have deepened the roots of my faith and drawn me closer to Christ. Praise God.
We are so excited that God is calling us to continue serving in the Lehigh Valley at Calvary. I am so grateful that the uncertainties of this process are over and there is greater clarity to our purpose here. The journey is just beginning in many respects. All that we have learned through this process equips us for the many challenges that will continue.
The second most exciting role change... Asher is a preschool student! Asher has been receiving speech therapy through Early Intervention for 1.5 years. Right before he turned 3, he was evaluated for the next available program, the Intermediate Unit. Much to my surprise, the evaluators recommended preschool setting for speech therapy for little Asher. After some tears, wondering how these years could have gone so quickly and realizing that my dream was to have a baby with me when I took Asher for his first days of school, I bought him a backpack, packed his food and dropped him off at his first day of preschool. It sounds like I'm sending him off to college, doesn't it? I tend to live life on the slightly over dramatic side! Asher loves preschool and I love a few quiet mornings each week.
The result of the first two role changes has resulted in the biggest change for me. I am no longer working as a social worker. With the demands of Paul's new role, Asher's preschool and the impending adoption, we knew this time would eventually come. It came quicker than I expected. I have loved working in healthcare for the past 10 years. This may sound odd, but I appreciate having a role where people know me as an individual, without being known as Paul's wife. I enjoy having my own little niche. I always expected to take a break from work at the end of a pregnancy. It feels so odd to be walking away with only the hopes of our adoption in my heart. It doesn't feel quite as tangible as a leaving with a pregnant belly. God is purposeful and sovereign in all of these things, asking me to keep taking these small steps. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had with my company and excited to remain employed with them on a per diem basis to help out as my schedule allows.
We may not have planned things to unfold quite as they have, but we are so thankful. It hasn't always been easy and the road ahead won't be without difficulties. But we are so incredibly grateful that the Lord continues to make clear His path. The most comforting part of being part of a story that I would never write is knowing that God, the ultimate author, is in the middle of creating something beautiful.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are our ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9