Don’t Try To Make It Make Sense
Since the age of 10, my dream has been to live in Atlanta, Georgia. As a music buff who desired to attend as many concerts as possible and who desired to be in the entertainment industry one day, living in Atlanta just made sense. No matter how hard I tried, it seemed like living in Atlanta was an unattainable dream. I applied to college in Atlanta but couldn’t afford it. I applied to multiple jobs but didn’t get accepted. After a while, I gave up on the dream to move to Atlanta. I actually gave up on a lot of my dreams and settled into the existence I was living.
In 2020, my grandmother passed away and I felt like my hold to Alabama disintegrated. There was nothing keeping me in the state anymore. Around this time, my dream to pursue a career in the entertainment industry arose again. I started planning on ways to move to Los Angeles, California and dreamt of starting over.
2020 was also the year where I began transitioning to have a relationship with the Lord. During this time, I became obsessed with understanding what my purpose was. The following year, I decided to move from my apartment in Atmore and because I didn’t have the money to move to LA yet, I opted for moving back in with my parents. It was there that God began to work. He reignited dreams, interests and passions and began chipping away at the dreams I formulated previously. Fast-forward to 2023, I had a better idea of how God wanted to use my gifts for His glory. However, my salary did not permit me to move from home. July 2023, I visited my best friend’s church and as soon as my butt hit the seat, I heard God say it was time to move. (Around this time, I started having dreams of visiting a church in Atlanta.) Although my initial thought was to move to Daphne, AL, I quickly turned my thoughts to Atlanta. It made more sense. The projects and industry I wanted to work on and in would thrive more in Atlanta. I would be able to have more connections and would have more resources.
I started looking at houses and apartments to rent around the outskirts of Atlanta and I found a house that was in my budget. I was ecstatic! However, I calmed myself and prayed to God. If this house is for me, I would wait three days before reaching out to the landlord. I rechecked the site that day – it was still available. Checked it on day 2 and it was still available. I woke up day 3 excited because TODAY WAS THE DAY! Checked the website and the listing was gone.
I proverbially shrugged. Oh well. Maybe God meant I was going to move later and not right now. I had faith that I would get to Atlanta eventually. That following Sunday I revisited my best friend’s church and at the end of service, her Apostle handed me a membership form. Although I couldn’t see my face, I know confusion was written all over it. If there was one thing I knew was her Apostle heard from God so if he was handing me a membership form, knowing I lived in Montgomery, it was because the Lord told him to.
I sat in my best friend’s car dumbfounded. I thought it was Atlanta was all I could think! After coming to grips that the initial thought of moving to Daphne was from God and that I tried to change God’s plan to fit my plans, I started searching for apartments. I narrowed the search down to four apartments. Before contacting the apartment offices, I prayed for God to lead me to the apartment He wanted me to live. When I called, the only apartment that was available to view and had units was my second choice. After viewing the apartment, I knew that was the apartment for me.
Isaiah 55:8 (KJV) says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” It has been amazing to experience my growth since moving in 2023, especially since originally, moving to lower Alabama didn’t make any sense. The revelations and elevation I have experienced since moving out of obedience to the Lord is far greater than being “in the room where it happens,” which was my motivation for wanting to move to Atlanta.
If God is telling you something and it makes no sense, remember Isaiah 55:8. Our goal in life should be to be obedient and trusting in the One who knows all and created all. An alternate route means there are lessons to learn and transformation that must occur. It doesn’t mean that we will never reach the Promised Land. If God promised it, it will come to pass, but we must be complicit to His will over our lives.
Therefore, embrace the alternate routes and watch how God elevates you.
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