We’ve all had that feeling. That little tug on our hearts that says it’s time to step to a plate that God is serving to us. The invitation has been extended, but are we willing to meet Him where he’s asking us to be? In my experience, it’s always a process to get there, and that’s okay! Recently while moving toward a decision, for me, it began with these six choices:

1. Deciding  
2. Praying 
3. Faith 
4. Blessing 
5. Worship  
6. Action 

 

1. Deciding 

When I heard who was speaking at and organizing the Loved Already Conference, I knew immediately that myself, my daughters, my sister and three of her girls were meant to be there. I knew without a shadow of a doubt, but the uncertainty crept in when it came to figuring out the logistics. I wasn’t sure how it would all come together, and the decision for all of us to travel to Defiance, Ohio, took some time, thought and prayer. I had questions: where is Defiance? How long will it take to get there? Where will we stay? Can my sister meet us there? Ultimately, it was Tori Hope Petersen herself who helped me make the final decision. When I received a personal invitation from her saying that I would fit right in, I took it as a sign that everything would fall into place. And it did.  

2. Praying

I booked the tickets and the hotel, and as I did so I prayed about what God would do through this conference and the time away that we would all spend together. 

When it was finally time to leave, everything went more smoothly than I initially would have dared to hope. I know that God went before us! The weather was perfect, the traffic simple to navigate, the border crossing easy, the hotel experience wonderful, the food delicious and the restaurants so much fun to eat at, and then there was the conference itself. It was one answer to prayer after another. I knew how many were praying for this weekend, and I could feel it and see it tangibly, from the moment the girls rolled out of bed very early and went to Starbucks by themselves to treat their Mom and keep her happy on the road! 

Praying before anything is so important, even if we’ve already made up our minds to do it. The decision is one thing, but plans get sidetracked, things go awry, and it’s important to pray as you begin to take those steps towards whatever it is you’ve decided to do. You might just be surprised with what will unfold as you wait in expectation of what God will do!

As my sister said recently, “we wait with curiosity about how God is going to work out this one!” I’ll be honest, I was anxious about traveling to the States. My sister and three of her kids had been in a major accident on their way to visit our other sister just two months earlier. Someone had spun out of control and hit them, causing them to roll their SUV. Thankfully everyone came out alive and without any major injuries, but the memories of that event weighed heavily on me. 

At that time, my husband had been in the States on business, just a few hours away from the scene of the accident. He had been able to meet them and bring them back to our place for the night and were all badly shaken but so grateful that they were alive! As I busied myself packing and planning for our weekend away, the memories of the accident ran through my mind over and over again until I almost canceled the whole trip. I was consumed with fear that the same thing would happen to us. 

This is where faith comes in. God had put in my heart to go to Ohio and there was a reason for that, and in spite of my fear, He kept nudging me to keep the plan, and stay on track – so I did. Prayer kept me going. 

3. Faith

The whole trip was a step of faith. Going to a place I had never heard of, worrying constantly about driving, weather, border lineups, safety, and on it went. I am not sure how this happens, but when all of these worries add up, my mind shuts down quickly. I believe that the enemy was happy to steal, kill and destroy this trip with worry. It was a close call. But I determined to go by faith and allow God to carry me despite my fears. God is stronger than our fears! Faith led to action, and action led to blessing. 

  4. Blessing 

Nothing can take away time spent with loved ones. Memories are cemented, and relationships are deepened. That is what happened to us. We had a blast! We arrived safely, phew! The hotel was simple, clean and comfortable. It was fairly empty, but we didn’t mind! It was nice to have it almost to ourselves. We had rooms beside one another, and the girls went back and forth between them as they laughed and renewed their friendships with their cousins. Just what kids love to do! 

The girls went to a movie on Friday night while my sister and I enjoyed time alone with some delicious food and much-needed conversation. Friday night was just right for all of us. The conference began on Saturday, which meant getting teens up very early–a nearly impossible feat, as those of you who are mothers of teenagers know! Luckily, there was a Tim’s close by, which helped begin our day well. We were very close to the church, and when we pulled in, the fanfare began! All these welcoming women waved us into the parking lot and ushered us into Loved Already. We did already feel loved. 

 

5. Worship 

The moment we arrived (early, as we had VIP tickets for a special Q&A time with a few of the speakers), we sensed a passion for serving others that permeated throughout the atmosphere. One of the girls had a question planned for Tori, and she answered it so beautifully. Her story of fostering and adoption is truly amazing…it is a story of hope and redemption, heartache and heartbreak, as she found her way to being immersed in the arms of Jesus.   

Tori tenderly spoke to my niece about how to deal with past hurts. It was moving. When the other women arrived after the Q&A, the music began, and worship was in full bloom. We sang, prayed and sang some more! It set the tone for the day and allowed us to prepare our hearts to hear from God through the speakers. 

6. Action 

Each of the women spoke and encouraged us to act on what God calls us to do right where we are. No matter what your age or stage of life, we have a unique calling in our lives. We all have a story, and the speakers shared from personal experience and from the Word to challenge us to draw closer to Jesus. I know the Holy Spirit was at work. The Holy Spirit was moving. 

The day was a perfect balance of speakers, questions, vendor shopping, eating out for lunch, having coffee and worship. But the best was yet to come!  Baptism has always been in the heart of my youngest daughter. She was convicted and knew she wanted to, but was always held back by fear. This time, she said yes and was baptized. Her heart was stirred, tears flowed, and she said yes to God. Baptism is not about salvation; she is already saved. Baptism was her obedience to the call to publicly declare your faith in Christ. The best part was that her cousins, aunt, and sister also got to be there as her witnesses that day! (we made sure it was all on video for all family to see!) It was a surprising and beautiful moment. Action was required on her part, and she didn’t hold back. 

I can’t wait to see what happens next year at Loved Already! 

 

New music I am enjoying lately! Thanks Jenna for sharing this with me!