Our Journey: Part 2 - Rest, Solitude & Peace

For part 1 of our Journey, please click here: http://michele-risingabove.blogspot.com/2009/07/jim-micheles-journey-part-1-from.html


When my husband’s sabbatical began, Jim was utterly exhausted, worn, and broken. He still had to teach school so he was unable to fully achieve all he set out to do, especially at the beginning. My husband was so worn physically, that he had walking pneumonia for several weeks. Though it did force him to slow down, and was able to read some books he had planned to read during his sabbatical. Jim also visited a few churches, pastors and leaders. He had also found a few websites that assist pastors and leaders through these dry desert times in their lives.

My step-father had been deathly ill all winter and in the beginning of May the Lord mercifully took him home to be with Him in heaven. Knowing he wanted Jim and I there for his funeral, we moved up our time to leave on our vacation to Pennsylvania and left May 24th as soon as Jim was finished with school. (As I mentioned in my post yesterday, you can read about our adventures back east on our vacation journal on the left column of this blog in the directory of resources.) We had about a week to be with my mom and rest from our long cross country trip from Phoenix, AZ to Myerstown, PA before other family arrived for the beautiful services on June 7th. Mom was thankful to have her children and other family members by her side during this most difficult time in her life.

As family returned to their homes, Jim and I stayed on to assist her with projects around the house, be some comfort to her and at times be a sounding board for mom to vent or even cry. My mother is a very private, prideful, and well….stubborn woman at times to say the least. But I think it is also that generation too. For being 86 years old my mother is really in excellent health. Amazingly she has never been in the hospital for anything but to give birth! Hard to believe! She does have arthritis, and is slowing down more than she wants to admit and at times gets angry that she can no longer mow the lawn like she used to do (old push mower) just few years ago! She isn’t as mentally sharp as she once was either… but hey, who is? Either way we could see that she needs more assistance than she lets on.

With this time also being our “vacation”, we did try to find time for ourselves throughout the day as well. We would keep the mornings for our time with the Lord; seeking His will, purpose, direction, and peace for our lives. We would usually spend from 11am to 6:30pm with my mom, and then drive back to the campground to spend the evening together to talk, pray and take walks. We enjoyed out time together immensely; we had no TV to distract us. We also would take a couple of days in the week to be by ourselves and not go over to moms at all; thus giving us all a much needed break from one another as well. Jim and I cherished our time with one another.

By mid June it had become apparent to both of us that God was truly working in our hearts to prepare us for a new calling; a new direction. One evening I just opened my heart to Jim. The flood gates opened as I shared my feelings, desires and God’s calling upon my heart and life at this time. I thought that he would think I was crazy, after all in today’s economy one does not just quit their job, sell almost everything they have and relocate across country with no promise of a job, home or even security! But this is what I knew God was asking us to do. I had such peace in my heart that I had not felt in many years. I told Jim it was not just because of my mom, for I know that she could die tomorrow. No, this was for me. For some reason the Lord wants me in Pennsylvania for me. There is something or someone(s) that God desires me to minister to as well as individuals who are to minister to me too; exactly who, what, where and why, God has not revealed that to me at this time. After I shared my heart, I was quiet; I knew that Jim had much to digest. In all of our 35 years of marriage I had never told Jim that God wanted us to go here or there to minister or live. God had always spoken to Jim first and then Jim would share what God was directing Him/us to do or go.



So how was Jim going to react? What has God been revealing in Jim’s heart these past weeks?

Tune in tomorrow for the continuation of our journey together these past few months.

Knowing God's Will - Insight from George Müller
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/knowing-gods-will.htm
Listening to God - Preparing Your Heart to Hear Him
http://www.allaboutgod.com/listening-to-god.htm
Hearing God’s Voice
http://www.allaboutprayer.org/hearing-gods-voice.htm
How to know God's will for your life - What guidance does the Bible give me?
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/how-to-know-gods-will-for-your-life-faq.htm
Will God's will be obvious or hidden?
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/gods-will-faq.htm
Spiritual Healing
http://www.allaboutgod.com/spiritual-healing.htm
Smoldering Wick Ministries - a Servant Ministry to the hurting church leader and believer.
http://smolderingwickministries.org/



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