Just Around the Corner

Welcome back! I’ve taken a brief hiatus as my wife and I settle into our new home, but it is good to be back behind the keyboard!

Life is never as straightforward of a path as we might like, but it is important to remind ourselves of that. My father once told me that “businesses never grow in a straight line, and neither will our lives” and that could not be more true. It is the ups and downs of life’s reality that make us stronger along the way.

That said, we didn’t plan to move into a home, let alone in the city that we landed in, so let’s rewind.

My wife & I have spent the last few months really praying about where God would like us to be in this next chapter of our lives, and as we approached the end of our lease we felt a clear path from the Lord:

A Cross-Country Roadtrip.

Yep, that really was our plan. We looked into storage units, prepped our family / friends from Texas to Florida to the Carolinas, Kentucky, Utah, and Nevada, it really was all planned out. Our family might have thought we were crazy (rightfully so) but the 2-4 months on the road was a trip we were both genuinely excited for.

On paper it made a lot of sense. Our grandparents are only getting older (Ela lost a grandma earlier this year), our work was both virtual and flexible, and it would be a trip we’d likely never be able to do again… or at least never again with double income, no kids, and no rent!

But as we planned this adventure, the Lord kept this twinge of uncertainty on our hearts, like something would happen that we didn’t expect. It was subtle at first, but the more we prayed about it, the quieter we became as we were a little afraid of what the Lord might do within this radical availability we committed to.

With only 3 weeks left in our lease, roughly 10 days until we needed to start packing into the storage unit, I got a LinkedIn message from a mentor about a new opportunity.

I actually scrolled past it too.

He reached out two months prior and for some reason I never set up the call, but with this follow up I knew I had to give him a chance.

Now for context, I’d already applied to 5-10 other jobs, being mostly rejected and overall unimpressed. I was mostly just content in a job that was no longer challenging, which I had mostly mastered, and was pretty successful in. The truth is the road trip would have just been me buying time as we worked virtually, trying to figure out what would come next.

But only 60 seconds into the call with this mentor, I immediately realized this offer was different.

It was going to stretch me, require me to lean on those around me, step outside my comfort zone and build up a team to become the best salespeople they could possibly become. I’d have to leave behind the comfortable, predictable role along with all the knowledge I had acquired, to start fresh in the pursuit of a new challenge.

While Intimidating, the Call was Clear.

Before I even shared this opportunity with my wife, I knew we would agree that our roadtrip was cancelled. For the first time in our marriage there was a bit of clarity on what would actually happen next.

I’d like to sit on that feeling for just a minute.

Like many of us, I spent the majority of the last few months filling in the gaps of what could happen. I was dwelling far out of the current moment and pushing myself to find an answer that was not yet available. All of a sudden, within a few seconds of that call, it was clear as day. You could feel the warmth of the sun peeking through the clouds and the fog finally clearing. There was this peace that immediately caused me to stand a little lighter & all at once I regained my passion for the work I’ve been called to

A feeling like this is impossible to ignore. Everything just seemed to click.

Within 5 days of that conversation, my wife & I not only found the new part of town we’d be moving to (which was not even on our radar before), but we also signed our lease, and began packing.

Incredible. All the preparation & all the anxiety was wasted energy, because when the time was right it all came together in an instant.

Now I share this story for a few reasons.

Did the road trip happen? No. But did we need to plan it? Honestly yes.

Ela and I spent many hours planning the trip, talking to family about it and discussing if this would be good for our marriage. While we knew it would be taxing in some areas, we also knew that it could be worth it in the end.

What we now realize is that our peace and openness to the road trip was a conduit for the next season we were to be pulled into. Looking back at our plans, we anticipated all the conversations and memories that would be made, and while it wasn’t produced in one straightforward trip, we now have an outline for the moments we want to make happen later this year.

Do not be afraid of what the Lord puts on your heart or the trials he leads you through.

Every declined offer, shift in opportunity, or change far out of your control, has never surprised the Lord in his faithfulness. Maybe you are in that season right now, somewhere in between the plans you have made and the story the Lord is writing, and let me be the first to remind you: Clarity will come when you let go of the outcome.

Trust in the Lord for you are right where you need to be. It may not all make sense at this moment, but you might be one notification away from everything changing.

He has great plans for us.
He has great plans for you.

Praying for you guys,
CB