Two years ago I spoke at a church in another state. As I drove away I left a small piece of my heart there. That’s not unusual. You meet new people. You become friends. You see their heart.

But this was bigger than that. As I drove the winding roads to home tears fell freely.

God was trying to show me something, but what?

I have family in that area, and each time I visited over the next few months, the same thing happened.  As I left, I felt the Holy Spirit whispering that one day I would come back … for good.

Richard and I had been rooted in this state for all of our married lives. His family lives here. We have attended the same church and loved that church family for many years.

But the call was clear. God was moving us in a new direction.

But that’s when everything came to a standstill. There were obstacles to overcome if we were to make the move. New state license exams to take, additional hours to complete to transfer counseling license from one state to another, a job to find …

So for two years we quietly tackled one of those mountains after another and every day that passed it seemed further away.

One challenge led to another. One door shut, then another, and another.

At one point we asked, “Are we certain we heard God in this?”

We drove to the city and as we left, I took a deep breath and waited. Was it still there?

And yes, so clear.

I think this is where we can get discouraged. We know that God is leading us somewhere … whether that is in a new path of forgiving, or taking us deeper in our faith, or physically moving us to be in the center of His will. We don’t know what that looks like. We aren’t sure if we should keep plowing on when we hit one brick wall after another.

But that’s where trust comes in.

Personally, I’d love for God to tell me that He’s moving me in a new or deeper direction, and then poof it just happens.

But then it might not be faith. It would just be promotion without perseverance. Destination without the benefits of the journey to get there.

When we hear from God, and we trust, then we are moving forward … even if it seems that we are standing still.

That’s faith. That’s trust. That’s God working on the inside of us.

Two weeks ago all the doors opened within one week. Those that had been firmly shut, or so challenging it seemed all the details would never fall in place, opened.

The For Sale sign is in our front yard. Painters are painting the living room even as I type. We are boxing our lives into brown cardboard boxes with sharpie’d labels.

It’s exciting and oh-so-real as we say goodbye to long-time friends and a church that is like family to us.

The waiting time wasn’t wasted, but essential. When we arrive at our new destination it will be without doubt that God is with us–in every part of the journey.

Maybe you’ve started your journey to forgive and it seems oh-so-far away.

Will you consider taking your eyes off the end goal today?

Ask instead, how is God asking you to trust Him today?

What is He teaching you?

How is today just as important a part of the journey?