It’s been quite an adventure over the last few weeks trying to decide where we’re supposed to live now that Greg has a new job. Because his position is partially remote, it gave us a lot of flexibility in where we could settle. We thought about staying here in Rexburg so Lexi could finish her senior year, but we soon began to realize how much time Greg would still spend away from home, so that lost its luster pretty quick. We also talked about moving to Orem where all our adult kids live (as well as our grandson and soon to be 2 more grandsons!), but the commute from Utah County to north Salt Lake is such a beast that we couldn’t wrap our brains around that option either. So we moved on to Plan C and started looking around the Layton/Odgen area where Greg’s job is actually located. It seemed that would be the least hassle and allow us the greatest time spent together as a family.
Eventually, we felt ourselves drawn more and more to the Syracuse area (I won’t bore you with all the details – it was just a really great fit for a whole bunch of reasons.) And yet, I could tell Lexi was really struggling with the idea of moving. The high school in Syracuse is almost double the size of Madison here in Rexburg, and she was having a hard time picturing herself there for her senior year. As much as I wanted to cajole her and try to talk her into it, I felt a quiet restraint come over me and I decided to put the whole matter into the Lord’s hands and see how He wanted to handle the situation.
To my great delight, my daughter’s heart soon began changing all on her own. First, we found some really cool options at Syracuse HS that we don’t have here in Rexburg, so that definitely got the ball rolling. But even though her heart was softening toward the idea, I could tell she still wasn’t fully convinced. And that’s when the Lord stepped in and sealed the deal. It was the day Lexi came to me and said, “Mom, you won’t believe what just happened to me.”
In a nutshell, she told me she’d been reading her homework for seminary in the book of Acts, and suddenly she came across a verse that she could hardly even believe existed in the scriptures. Here’s the picture she took of the scripture to text to her Dad (it’s verse 12):
“And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days….” (Acts 28:12).
It was one of those moments where the Lord just seemed to be standing there smiling and nodding His head. I mean, what are the chances of her coming across a verse listing the very town we’d all just been praying about?? I don’t believe for a second it was a coincidence. No, I believe He let us all know through Lexi exactly what His will was for us as a family. And the best part was watching her attitude transform as a result of this beautiful moment of personal revelation. From that moment, it’s like she was all in. Syracuse was her new home, and she was completely OK with it. In fact, since then, she’s become so excited about it that she can hardly wait until school is out so we can move. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt that she and Kalli also got lifeguard jobs at Lagoon Amusement Park for the summer, which I believe is another tender mercy intended to make this whole transition easier for both of them. I love when the Lord lets everything come together like that. It doesn’t always happen, but it’s pretty amazing when it does.)
Anyway, I just had to share this story to rejoice again in the fact that the Lord is there and He really does know our situation intimately. And every once in a while, He communicates with us in ways that are incredibly jaw-dropping and unmistakable. In ways that are so clear and so awesome we can hardly take it in. I love that my daughter had one of those moments. I know it’s something she—and the rest of us—will never forget. So bring on our new life in Syracuse! Just 5 weeks and counting and we’ll begin a brand new story in a brand new home.
