When You Know
Before I got married, I remember multiple wise women saying, “when you know, you just know.” I always wondered how you “know” you are marrying the right person? Then I started dating Dan. We were two very different people, in multiple ways; though when we started to hang out, there was just this peace. A peace I couldn’t explain. When we hit the 7 month dating mark, I remember having “the” talk, wondering if we wanted to continue the relationship, even with our differences. I realized at that moment, I could not imagine my life without Dan. At that point, I just knew. I finally understood what “when you know, you just know” really meant.
Is that not how God often works? God offers this peace, this reassurance, this calm, unlike any other “god” offers. We try to make other things give us those same feelings, (you fill in the blank with the item you spend the most time on), but there is always disappointment on the other end because it just does not deliver. There is something about the will of God, that is rejuvenating, reassuring, and refreshing.
But HOW do you know? When Dan and I were praying about moving, we both had this “peace.” When we prayed, we did not get feelings of panic, we did not feel this urge to say no, and we felt that the more we prayed, the more God made things clear. It is easy to let things get in the way to sway our opinions, but when you truly give up your life and heart and let Him mold it into His will, He will make things abundantly clear. It is not a 3 step “success” process to God’s will, but a continual giving of your heart to Him, letting Him form it into His liking – that’s when everything makes sense.
I fail all of the time. I fail because of fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of inadequacy, and fear of making a mistake. But fear is NOT of God. Fear is of the enemy and the enemy will do anything to steer us away from doing what God wants us to do. The enemy wants us to NOT feel that peace, to not feel that “when you know you know,” but will try and put any obstacle he can in the way, if our hearts are willing to accept that fear. I do it all the time. Worry can be a big part of my life. But isn’t it ironic that when I give my worries to God, that He replaces it with confidence and peace? Duh, Kristin! But I continue to worry.
In thinking about moving, it’s not like we are moving just across the street. There are some challenges that come with moving a few states over, but you know what? God has YET to make us believe that He doesn’t have it all figured out. EVERY LITTLE DETAIL thus far has made complete sense and has been figured out. Granted we don’t know where we will be living yet, but like Dan said yesterday, God has not given us ANY reason to believe He doesn’t have a place all picked out for us. When we wondered if North Street was the place we were to be, God had not given us ANY reason to believe that WASN’T the place He wanted us to be. He gave us that peace and calm we prayed for.
God cares about the little details; if we allow ourselves to see them. I know the big question that people often ask of God is how detailed is He when it comes to following His will? Does He offer two paths in certain situations and one in others? Or is there one specific path? I don’t have all the answers. But I don’t need to. All I know is that we are called to have faith, pray, and seek His will. And He WILL make it clear – He will make us feel the “you know when you know” feeling. Countless times, Dan and I can attest to that. Not always in OUR timing, trust me. Our route to having a child was not what we would have planned, but that path could not have been more perfect. Just wasn’t in our human timing, but oh is God’s timing so much better! I can’t imagine our life any other way!
What in your life are you waiting for the “when you know, you know?” What is getting in the way of that peace and reassurance? Fear? Worry? Something tangible? Giving it ALL to God is worth the prayers and time. In fact, as it says in Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Thank you Lord, for that grace you so freely give us in that verse! What a loving God we serve!
