{Lia and her husband, Aaron, at the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany}
Editor’s Note: This article begins a 3-part series entitled When We Don’t Understand. These posts provide truths to hold onto as we grapple with life’s unanswered questions.
When my husband, Aaron, and I got married, I moved to Germany in order for him to complete his college career. Moving to another country can be exciting, offering many new experiences. But with those experiences come challenges as well. Everything was such a huge adjustment to me. I had to familiarize myself with the culture, the language, the churches… everything. Even the mundane task of grocery shopping was challenging!
Up until this point, I had done a small amount of international travel, but trying to set down roots was a whole different experience. The language barrier made cultivating relationships with Aaron’s family as well as people in the community challenging and often left me feeling discouraged and alone. My day to day life vastly changed from the hustle and bustle of constantly working, spending time with family and friends, and attending many church events to waking up everyday wondering how I would fill my time.
As I got more settled into life in Germany, I became aware that my lack of relationships was causing me to feel isolated. Everyday I would come to the Lord and repeat the phrase, “I need you Lord, oh how I need you!” I knew I needed to come to him for strength to keep moving forward, and I found that when I felt most alone, he was near.
The Lord showed me how to slow down and immerse myself in his truth. Because I had so much available time on my hands, I was able to soak up many sermons, books, and conversations with friends back home that I otherwise wouldn’t have had time for or prioritized. God revealed to me his purpose for my time in Germany: He was stretching me in ways that would grow me closer to him and to my husband. He was teaching me how to be patient and wait for his plan and purpose to unfold in his timing, not mine.
Proverbs 19:21 became a key truth for me. It says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” This verse revealed to me that although I had hopes and expectations for what living in Germany would be like, the Lord’s purposes and plans always go before my own. At first, it can feel discouraging and hard to trust God’s plans when we don’t see the end of the road that we’re walking, but time and time again the Lord reveals to us how much better and richer his plans are for our lives. This is a lesson that I will need to keep remembering through the different seasons of my life, but the Lord is patient and kind to gently remind me every time I forget. .
Looking back, I’m so grateful for that experience. I’m grateful for a season in life where I was forced to slow down and reorient my priorities to having Christ as the center. He desires for us to draw near to him in times when we feel alone and isolated so that he can remind us that he will never leave us nor forsake us. He is always present and always desiring for us to cling to him.
