What I’m Reading: Head in the Clouds
To leave or not to leave, that is the question. And it’s been the question multiple times in my life.
Do we stay at a church where we’re happy or start a new church?
Should I leave my current job where I’m comfortable for one I could equally love or hate?
Do I stay at my job with its guaranteed paycheck or pursue writing full-time though the income is not secure?
God’s word promises He will give those seeking after Him guidance in the paths they should take. Peace is a great indication. Agreement on the issue with a spouse is another. Sometimes an unexpected word from a friend can confirm a direction. Yet when life-altering decisions loom, you want complete assurance you’re on the right track.
At times, God has left me with no doubt about what He wants. That quiet voice, not audible but it might as well have been, saying it was time to leave our first church. I had to wait a while for my husband to get the memo, but I know it was God’s direction as I sat in church that Sunday morning.
That clarity is a rarity. More often than not, I find myself wishing God left voice mail or sent certified letters detailing my next step. I can’t count the times I’ve told God I’d gladly take that next step if He would only flash a neon sign outside my bedroom window clearly displaying my direction.
Adelaide Proctor, from Karen Witemeyer’s Head in the Clouds, may not know what neon signs are, but as I read her story, I know she understands the sentiment. Adelaide runs ahead of God and finds herself in an embarrassing situation. Considering her next move, Adelaide knows she has to follow God’s leading. But where is He taking her? How can he redeem this situation she finds herself facing?
God doesn’t give her a neon sign, but He guides Adelaide in her next step. Her new job as governess to sheep rancher Gideon Westcott’s adopted daughter is a perfect fit. Between the devastating loss Isabella has faced in her young life and the sweetness of the child, Adelaide looses her heart in no time. But the child isn’t the only one tempting her heart. Even though she’s determined romance is for storybooks alone, Gideon is quickly filling the role of Prince Charming in her mind and heart.
But, as we all do, Adelaide finds even when following where we know God is leading, the path isn’t easy. Trouble threatens Adelaide’s happily ever after almost before it can begin. With loss and heartache looming in the pages of her story, can Adelaide trust and have peace knowing she has followed God down His path for her?
Can we do the same when our own paths become difficult?
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