a fleece, but not the old navy kind.

so a few weeks ago we met up and talked about many important things. she and i, we really are sisters. i mean, of course we are, in You, but our friendship just runs deeper than most. our personalities are so very different, but our hearts, they just beat in the same strange rhythm. our seasons seem to coincide with stunning regularity. we are both fierce and intense. and, though we don't see each other nearly as often as i would like, i never feel as though i have to apologize for how wild i am on the inside with You. she gets it, and i get her, and it's so encouraging. her friendship is a breath of fresh air to me.

so we met up a few weeks ago, and i tossed out a crazy idea.

"what would your first thought be if i said, 'let's pack up our lives here and move to omaha'?"

i've thought about it quite a bit over the years, probably more in the past year and a half just because of how painful life has been. i am loved well in omaha, and i love well in omaha. sometimes it just feels like such a stark contrast to life in mount prospect. both voluntarily and involuntarily, i have been isolated from my old group of friends here in this town, and i'm still on a journey of finding out whether You are naturally separating me from them for the purpose of relocating me, or if you want me to labor in the place of prayer in totally restoring those relationships.

anyway, she responded, "my first thought would be, 'heck yes!'"

i suggested a fleece. i've done it before. people tend to look down on fleeces, but i kind of like them. i've seen You respond to them in funny ways, and they have built my faith at times. i didn't call this a fleece at first, but when i proposed the idea, she recognized it as one.

"you mean a fleece."

"well, yes..."

"why do you think that is necessary?"

"well, i don't know that it's totally necessary... but if we're going to make a big decision like this, especially on kind of a whim, we should probably be very clear that it's the Lord... do you think it's a bad idea?"

"well... i don't know... no, i guess not."

"i mean, i wouldn't do it if my heart was set on a particular answer. but, as it is, i'd be okay with staying or going. so i think a fleece is okay. also, it would be kind of fun. it would be an adventure."

so we agreed. we decided that we would both ask the You for a verse pertaining to the idea of us moving together. we set a date that we would decide by. we said that if we both ended up having the same verse, we would do it. we prayed and committed it to You, and that was that. i mean, really, what are the chances that the verses would be the same? there are 66 books in the bible. that's a LOT to choose from.

tonight was the moment of truth.

we wrote our respective verses on pieces of paper and put them in sealed envelopes to give to each other. it was an adventure.

after church, we opened our envelopes together. my verse was 1 Corinthians 7:29-31:

"what i mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had non; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. for this world in its present form is passing away."

i opened her envelope. her verse was.... not the same. it was 2 Corinthians 2:13:

"i still had no peace of mind, because i did not find my brother titus there. so i said good-by to them and went on to macedonia."

we both laughed nervously.

i said, "i just read your verse this afternoon! it had crossed my mind to write down! that's so weird!"

"you know, i'm kind of disappointed," she said.

"me too, kind of."

"so i guess were not moving. at least, not right now."

"yeah, i guess not."

it was interesting, though. of all the chapters in the Word, i had JUST been reading 2 Corinthians this afternoon. i even read over that passage several times. i told her that i had almost written down her verse, but i realized later tonight that it was a different verse in 2 Cor. i had been drawn to. at first i felt as though perhaps i had totally mucked it up. like i didn't discuss it with You enough, didn't hear You well. it was so close!!

but, on the way home, You brought revelation to my heart. You wanted me to know that You were in the process of all of this. her verse could have been some totally obscure passage in leviticus. and how would we have felt then? we would have known that we weren't supposed to move yet, but it would have felt totally impersonal. but instead, her verse was one i had JUST READ, and You could have highlighted it to me this afternoon, but You chose not to.

so, wow. tonight i am satisfied with Your response. i rest in Your sovereignty. You know what You're doing. i'll stay. until You tell me to go, i'm here. You are amazing, and fun!

so, here's to at least another 9-10 months in the chicagoland area.