Open Doors and Closed Doors

Surrender means that we cannot choose what we will do or what we won't do. Surrender means that we cannot choose where to live, or who our friends will be, or how our time is spent. It means that we consult God about everything. We ask Him to choose His best for us, and we acknowledge that we don't know what that will look like. It may be all sunshine, or it may be a storm! It means that we are just as excited about the stormy days as we are about the peaceful ones. It means we are just as excited about the doors He closes as we are about the doors He opens. This is how He makes His way clear, and these are the ways that we follow Him!

Twenty-five years ago, James and I sold a ranch we had in central Texas. Owning it had been a dream come true! We ran cows on it. We raised and baled our own hay. We spent half of our time out there and we loved it! Then, on my birthday, June 27th, as we rounded our corner we saw that turkey houses were being built right across from our place. Plantation Foods, the largest producer of turkey products in the state of Texas, was buying up land in our area. Needless to say, the air quality left much to be desired once the turkeys arrived! Eventually, we sold our dream place to Plantation Foods.

We left there with every intention of returning to a life in the country. Thus began a search that lasted for years! We prayed that God would open the doors for us or close them according to His will. The doors kept closing, and closing, and closing! We put contracts on four different places and at the last minute and in the strangest ways each one fell through. Finally, it dawned on us that God's will for us was to stay right where we are!

Looking back with the hindsight that time provides we can see the many blessings of staying here in Fort Worth. We live on almost 2 acres with a year-round creek running through it. Mother was with us for almost two years in a house that was well suited to having her. It has offered unique opportunities for ministry. We asked God to choose the place for us to live, and so far this house that we have lived in for more than 40 years has been His choice for us!