Always Look for the Light

When I was a young single woman searching for a job, Kentucky wasn't even on my radar. I figured it was mostly rural. Horse farms. Fried chicken in a red-and-white bucket. Hillbillies.

Clearly I didn't know the Bluegrass State, and I definitely didn't know the Lord. But He knew me. Knew where I needed to be, knew what was best for me.

    "The Lord knows those who are His." {2 Timothy 2:19}

When a job offer came, I moved to Kentucky in the darkness of winter, figuring I'd be there six months, tops. Even as I unpacked boxes, I plotted my exit. Big City Miss Ruth Ann wasn't about to call the rolling hills and hollers of Kentucky home.

Then spring came.

Wildflowers blanketed the countryside. Redbuds and dogwoods burst into bloom. Birdsong greeted me in the morning, and an owl hooted me to sleep at night.

Little did I know that God was wooing me. Softening my heart, making room for His Spirit. I'd been busily mailing out resumes, looking for work in San Francisco or Dallas or Chicago. Somewhere bigger, busier, bolder. A place where I could get lost in the crowd.

I was already lost. What I needed was to be found.

God waited until I was ready, until the pace of my life had slowed enough for me to appreciate the beauty of His world and the affection of His people. They invited me into their homes. They told me about God. They read me His Word. Then, they showed me what God could do with a broken soul like mine.

These Kentucky people? They loved me, plain and simple.
Wool and Handwoven Baskets

Our sister Ann Voskamp says, when taking photos, "Always look for the light." The same wisdom applies to every area of our lives, whether we're gazing through a camera lens or opening our eyes to the reality of a God who cares.

    "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light." {Matthew 6:22}

With each passing month, contentment seeped into my soul. I discovered that quiet suits me better than noisy, that friendly beats trendy, that green grass and white fences are as pleasing to the eye as the finest cityscape.

I didn't merely settle for Kentucky; Kentucky settled in me. God had gone ahead of me and prepared a place for me. It's not the state I might have chosen, but it's the state were I was chosen. The state where I met the Lord and married my husband and gave birth to our children and made friends for a lifetime.

It's home until He comes to take me home.

Where has God planted you, beloved? Is it home for now or home for good? If God said "Stay," would you? If God said, "Go," could you?

Peace and contentment come when we say yes to now and no to fretting about the future; when we seek His light, right where we are, and gladly point others in His direction.

    "Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way." 

{2 Thessalonians 3:16}

Source: in(courage)