By Miriam from Nigeria
For a while I felt restless, tense and stuck. I couldn’t even put my thoughts together to share with you all.
Then, I became involved in a whirlwind of activities because I needed to move to another country again. The decision about which country to move to was unclear, so I made several calls and had discussions with my guide, trying to determine where to go next and if we should find an organization I could volunteer with. I felt it was important to make it about more than just me running again to stay alive. We finally agreed on a country and this time, it was the farthest from home. Though I was getting used to adjusting to my new reality, knowing I was going so far away made me feel as if reality was shouting at me, “YOU AREN’T GOING BACK TO THE HOME YOU KNOW!”
Perhaps you might have missed it, or maybe you have been following my journey all along through these blog posts, but I want to reiterate that my guide is an Orthodox Priest, whom GOD placed in my life to advise me on this unknown road I am traveling on. This Orthodox Priest and his family have been such a needed support and a blessing to me.
For this new country I was moving to—we agreed that it would be good to not just move, but also find an organization to volunteer with. That would add value to my sojourning. Then I remembered an impression one of my closest friends had a while back. He said, while he was praying for me, he felt GOD was going to guide me to a specific organization in a particular country. So, I reached out to him and he made contact for me.
Well, I am here now in this new country, and it feels just right. It feels like home, to be honest; the people, the culture, the scenery, the climate, the weather, and the organization. I know it is different, but through that difference is also familiarity. This place reminds me of my childhood home before the crisis took over. My whole being loves it here. And I find myself saying, “God? Why didn’t you just bring me here from the start? Why did I have to go through the turmoil and hurdles???”
But, with a huge smile on my face, I kind of know that I had to go through the hurdles to be here. The timing of my being here is in God’s calendar. I am in the right place at the right time. I had to go through every single place and experience to get here because I needed some character refining and maturity to nurture me to get me to where I am now. Plus, I wouldn’t have understood what trusting God wholeheartedly in spite of bleak reality really meant.
So, I am so grateful, Abba. You are just a good, good Father. I adore You. I honor You. Words can’t begin to express the way I feel inside. But, I know that You know.
Though I know with almost absolute certainty that this place is a temporary abode, still You made it so comfortable and homelike for me. You really do know me because this is just what I need for here and now. I bless You Lord.
Take all the glory.
