Where He Leads Me, I Will Follow

When we made the choice to follow Jesus all the way, it meant letting go of all self-sufficiency and replacing it with complete trust and dependence on Him.

It also meant we would face many crucibles.

My family’s spiritual journey consisted of many answered prayers and blessings that reassured us of God’s leading. Nevertheless, our faith was severely tested and tried. Financial loss was one crucible we faced. My husband and I both lost our jobs, but we endeavored to focus on Jesus, whose loving-kindness and provision for our family were consistently proven. Our dependence on Him resulted in relocating thousands of miles across state lines.

Though we trusted His will, we found ourselves questioning His plan. After relocating, the affordability of our children’s Christian education became a challenge. While Christian education always means a financial sacrifice, the cost was now double what we had previously struggled to afford. Following the recent completion of my graduate degree, I felt the overwhelming need to become certified for advanced practice registered nursing to help cover tuition and revive our financial freedom. But my timing was not in sync with God’s timing.

Though I relapsed into self-sufficiency, God’s love, mercy, and provision remained constant and comforted me. Our children were successfully enrolled in Christian education while we searched for financial opportunities. A few weeks later, we were granted funding for the education of all three children—funding that was available to them each year until the completion of high school. The balance owed was only 17 percent of the combined tuition.

This was such an abundant gift from God, far more than we expected. Sometimes we question God’s directions and often run ahead of Him instead of trusting His promise to care for us. If I had been granted certification at the time of my pursuit, our family would have been denied funding because the qualification process was based on income.

We often become frazzled or distraught when our desires do not align with God’s will for us. But if we fully submit ourselves to His will, we find His plans far exceed our own.

Thessamar Moncrieffe