Advent devotion: I wonder as I wander

Out under the sky, it was this past February:

Rocking gently from the waves below,

Starring into a vast, star-lit sky above,

Feeling entirely alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

My husband and I began to ponder our future once more – faced with leaving Moscow, Russia (the place we had called home the longest) and the possibility of repatriating to the States after seven years abroad.

A somewhat nomadic life we have lived – having moved ten times in the past 18 years, across the States & around the globe. We’ve agonized as we’ve considered each relocation:

Is this the right time, the right place? – For our children & for us.

In leaving – What will our new life be like?

Upon arrival – Did we make the right decision?

Through the years we’ve learned there is NO RIGHT or WRONG… just different. There are pluses and minuses to each experience & we’ve learned to treasure those things we gain – those bits of knowledge & unique experiences – in each new place.

Some days this is certainly easier said than done! There are days when our faith and our relationships are challenged, but with these challenges we grow & evolve – as individuals, as a family and in our relationship with God. This outcome is certainly one to be treasured.

For good, for bad, for different – We go, knowing God is with us. Though we may not always understand, we lay our trust in God…just as Mary did so long ago when she learned what God had in store for her and the child she carried.

“Go now with God;
Be not tempted to stay in the safety of known places.
Move from where you are to where God points.

Go now with God;
Be not tempted to go only in your time.

Go now with God;
Choose not to go alone.

Go in the faith that there is not wilderness so vast,
That God is not already there to show you the way.” – Author unknown

Angie Vaaler lives in Bettendorf with her husband, John, and daughters, Maria and Emma.