life + marriage

Oh the Places You’ll Go…

I took this photo on May 5, 2018

Where has your life taken you?
Did you expect to be there?
Was it the greatest adventure of all time?

These are all questions I have asked myself throughout the years.
To date, the most exhilarating life changing decision was to move from Indiana, USA, to where my heart was, in Canada.
I know what you may be thinking, it’s still a part of North America, no big deal, but in reality it was so much more than that, it was all by faith.

If I really think about it, it reminds of Gods promise to Abram (soon to be Abraham) in Genesis 12:1

“Now the Lord has said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.’” -NKJV

Let me explain.

Back in late April 2018 my emotions were all over the place, I honestly could not tell anyone how I was really feeling or thinking because I knew if I tried I would have probably talked their ear off. We have all been there. So I kept all my answers to the question, “Are you ready for your big move?” short and sweet.

To give a little background context: I was born in the USA, but I lived in the prairie lands of Canada with my mother as a child. My parents split when I was very young and when that happened my dad returned back to the US. As I got a little older a decision was made that would change my life forever, and I moved to live with my dad in good old Indiana.

Fast forward many years later . . . My fiancé, David, and I were only engaged for 4 months at the time when we decided I would move in early May to better plan out the details for our late August wedding.

Here we are just days before we hit the road.

So, when people were asking me if I was “ready” – only weeks before I was to take the leap of faith to start a new life with the love of my life, in a city and country I only had faint memories of – I really didn’t know how to respond.

For some reason I could not stop thinking about the small things: like realizing there are no 24-hour grocery stores, having to learn how to use ‘Eh’ in a sentence, understanding the metric system, accepting that the Canadian currency is less than the USA $, and realizing not everyone will understand what I mean when I use certain quintessentially American expressions. But that’s the beauty of it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I was so excited to be marrying the man I prayed about for years, to see what my purpose would grow to be in this new adventure, and to be securely in God’s will, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a bit “scared”. Sometimes…the unknown can be scary.

If you have ever moved a long distance, no matter the reason (school, work, marriage, change in scenery, family, etc.), then you know it can be nerve racking, a bit scary, quite frustrating, and exciting all at the same time! But there is nothing like making a move in faith because you know it truly is God’s plan for your life.

…So there we were, David and I, our U-Haul completely packed and a thirty-eight hour crazy faith journey ahead of us…knowing it had to be God. The fact that I was actually leaving my old life behind to embark on a brand new one didn’t truly sink in until we were just one hour away from the Canadian boarder. There were plenty of tears and just as much laughter.

And it was just like that, just like Abraham, God had me leave the country that shaped and molded me, and literally leave from my father’s house to a land He showed me.

My adventure continues.

Love & Blessings,
Tanika

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