God Can See Around the Corners

 Expect the Unexpected… Because God Can See Around the Corners

If you follow my blog, you know Mike and I have spent some unexpected time in Ohio. We have a house there and Mike wanted to do some yard work. I wanted to see the kids and grandkids.

Well, Mike finished the yardwork. We visited some with the kiddos. Never as much as I would like, but that’s another story. I cleaned out my office and managed to get a bit of writing done. It was a crazy week. We headed home and got as far as somewhere in Kentucky when our truck had a problem. We made it back to the Ohio house without incident.

My Namesake... 
Preparing
for the Unexpected
Go Rebi!

But I trust that God can see around the corners. There is always a reason things turn out the way they do. We may never know what or why, but stuff happens. I trust we are exactly where we need to be right now. Whether it is Ohio, in Florida, or wherever.

I’ve experienced that feeling before. 

Once, when I was in India, my youngest daughter and I were working with young women who had been rescued from human trafficking. I remember the day we were all sitting on the floor with these sweet young women…some of them were mere children. 

I leaned back and felt, as much as heard a voice telling me, “You are exactly where you need to be right now.” 

That wasn’t the only time I came to that realization. But that time it was so real…almost audible, that I turned to see who said it. Of course there was nobody there.

Other times, after fretting over things not going my way or at least as I expected, I’ve been able to look back and see the timing proved to be perfect. Or the situation helped me grow in some way.

For example, the house we have in Ohio is one I bought a few years after Tom died. I needed a single-story house…NOT the three levels of space the other house offered. I was alone. I needed a manageable space and found it in that ranch style house. 

The place was a mess, but after some remodeling, it serves us well. One thing that made me love this place is that it was built on my grandparents’ farm. 

That was an unexpected gift for me. I spent several years of my childhood on that farm. 

I managed and came to terms with living alone when I bought the Ohio house. I found strength in serving others. Only a few weeks after I moved in, I received a message from a former student of mine from the college where I served. 

She wanted to know if I would be willing to travel to Kosovo and teach fourth grade in her place at an established American school. I gave her the only answer I knew. “I’ll pray about it.” And I did. A few weeks later I was on an airplane headed to Prishtina, Kosovo. It was a year of healing.

Then there is Mike.

I did not know God had a plan for me to remarry. I headed to my high school class reunion in Florida, stayed at the Waters’ family home and planned a post-reunion-pot-luck -picnic for the day after the official gathering. Mike not only offered to help me with the picnic, he drove me to the reunion.

After that, we talked on the phone. Every single day. He drove to Ohio to see me and meet my family. By Christmas we were engaged and we were married the following April.

Yep, I’ve learned to always expect the unexpected. Because God can see around the corners. We may not know why we wound up in Ohio longer than we planned, but one day, we may look at each other and say, “Wow, if that hadn’t happened…” 

Then again, we may never know. But I trust it was for our good. Or someone else’s. God has a plan.

I can trust Him. As my friend, Claudia, says, “He’s good at His job!”