Eleven years ago, I wrote an article about leaving Oklahoma and moving to Dallas via Florida. It was a crazy and amazing season! I was walking through a season of transition, trusting God to lead me into a new place, a new assignment, and a new chapter of life. I had more questions than answers, more faith than certainty, and absolutely no idea what the next several years would hold.
Looking back, I can see how much God accomplished in that season. He opened doors I couldn’t have opened myself, introduced me to people who would become important parts of my journey, and gave me opportunities to serve Him in ways I could never have anticipated.
And here I am, eleven years later, finding myself at another crossroads.
After nearly eleven years of serving at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, another chapter is coming to a close. There are decisions to make, possibilities to explore, and a future that hasn’t completely revealed itself. Once again, I’m learning what it means to release what I know, trust the One who knows what lies ahead, and believe that the best days aren’t necessarily behind me.
It’s interesting how life has a way of bringing us back to lessons we thought we had already learned. Perhaps that’s because some lessons aren’t meant to be learned just once. They’re meant to become part of who we are.
As I revisited that article from eleven years ago, three things stood out. They’re just as true today, although I think I understand them a little differently now.
1. God Knows Us Better Than We Know Ourselves
Eleven years ago, leaving Tulsa was one of the hardest decisions I had ever made. I had lived there for decades. My children were there. My relationships, routines, and sense of belonging were all wrapped up in a place I called home.
I knew God was asking me to step outside my comfort zone, but knowing something and actually doing it are two entirely different things.
I remember the uncertainty, the questions, and the conversations with God about what I was supposed to do next. I had preached about faith for years, but suddenly faith wasn’t a sermon illustration. It was my everyday reality.
What I discovered was that God was doing something in me that I couldn’t have accomplished by staying where I was comfortable.
I thought I was losing something. In many ways, I was being prepared for something.
Now, eleven years later, I’m reminded of that same truth. It’s tempting to measure our lives by the things we have accomplished, the positions we’ve held, the relationships we’ve developed, and the places we’ve called home. We can become so attached to what God has done that we struggle to imagine what He might want to do next.
But God isn’t finished shaping us just because a particular assignment is finished.
Sometimes He changes our circumstances because He wants to reveal something about our character. Sometimes He closes a door because we’ve become too comfortable standing in the same room. And sometimes what feels like an interruption is actually an invitation.
At this stage of life, I’ve discovered that God knows things about me that I haven’t discovered yet. He knows my gifts, my limitations, my passions, and the things that still need developing. He knows what I need even when I haven’t figured out what to ask for.
I’m learning that transition isn’t necessarily about starting over. Sometimes it’s about discovering what God has been preparing us to become all along.
2. God Really Loves Us. I Mean REALLY!
One of the most remarkable things about that transition eleven years ago was discovering how personally God cared for me.
The waiting wasn’t easy. There were moments when I wondered how everything would work out. I needed more than inspirational thoughts and encouraging words. I needed God to show up in very practical ways.
And He did.
He moved people to encourage me, provide for me, and participate in what He was doing. Some people offered financial assistance. Others provided opportunities, encouragement, and friendship. There were moments when I could only shake my head and smile because I knew I was experiencing something I couldn’t orchestrate myself.
God’s love became tangible through the people He placed around me.
I learned that we don’t have to understand everything about God’s plan to experience His provision. Sometimes His love shows up through a phone call, an unexpected conversation, a timely opportunity, or someone who simply refuses to let us walk through a difficult season alone.
I suspect I’m going to need that reminder again.
There is something humbling about realizing that, after all these years of serving others, teaching, leading, encouraging, and trying to be a blessing to people, I still need to receive those same things myself.
We never outgrow our need to be loved, encouraged, supported, and reminded that we matter.
And perhaps that’s one of the gifts hidden inside transition. It reminds us that our identity isn’t found in our job title, our accomplishments, or the people who depend on us. Our identity is rooted in the fact that we are deeply loved by God.
God’s love doesn’t disappear when an assignment ends. His faithfulness isn’t tied to an organization, a position, or a particular season of life.
He knows exactly where I am. He knows what I’m feeling. And He knows what I need before I even know how to articulate it.
That’s a pretty wonderful place to begin a new adventure.
3. All Things Work Together for Our Good… In His Time
I’ve taught Romans 8:28 more times than I can remember. I’ve encouraged people to trust God’s purposes when circumstances didn’t make sense. I’ve reminded others that God can redeem difficult situations and bring something good out of things that initially look anything but good.
But there’s a difference between teaching a Scripture and having to live it.
Eleven years ago, I discovered that God’s timetable and mine rarely look the same. Waiting stretched my faith, challenged my patience, and forced me to surrender some expectations about how things were supposed to happen.
Looking back, I can see how the difficult parts of that season contributed to the person I became. Things I didn’t understand at the time eventually became important pieces of a much bigger picture.
That’s the thing about perspective. Sometimes you can’t see the purpose while you’re standing in the middle of the process.
And I think that’s where I find myself again.
I don’t pretend to know how every piece of this next chapter will fit together. I don’t have every answer, and I certainly don’t have a detailed roadmap for what comes next.
But I do have eleven more years of experience watching God work.
I’ve learned that disappointment doesn’t have to define us. An unexpected ending doesn’t erase the value of what came before it. And a change in direction doesn’t mean we’ve somehow missed God’s plan.
Sometimes the very thing we would never have chosen becomes the place where God does some of His most important work.
Romans 8:28 doesn’t promise that everything that happens to us will be good. It reminds us that God is able to work through everything for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
I find tremendous comfort in that.
The ending of one chapter doesn’t diminish its significance. It simply makes room for the next one.
And while I may not know what that next chapter holds, I can trust the Author.
A New Adventure, An Old Faithfulness
There’s something interesting about looking back eleven years and realizing that the same God who was faithful then is still faithful now.
The circumstances have changed. I’ve changed. My perspective has certainly changed. I’ve accumulated more experiences, more relationships, more victories, and a few more scars along the way.
But the foundation remains the same.
God knows me better than I know myself.
God really, really loves me.
And He is still working all things together for good, in His time and according to His purposes.
I suppose one of the greatest gifts of getting older is realizing that life doesn’t stop being an adventure simply because we’ve accumulated a few more years. There are still things to discover, people to meet, opportunities to embrace, and ways to serve that we haven’t even imagined.
We can spend so much time worrying about what we’re leaving behind that we fail to appreciate what might be waiting ahead.
I’m grateful for the places I’ve lived, the people I’ve loved, the opportunities I’ve been given, and the privilege of serving God’s purposes through every season. I wouldn’t trade the journey that brought me here.
But I’m also learning not to hold too tightly to yesterday when God may be inviting me into tomorrow.
If you’re standing at a crossroads right now, perhaps you need to hear what I’m reminding myself: You don’t have to have the entire journey figured out to take the next step. You don’t have to understand the timing to trust the One who holds it. And you don’t have to be certain about what comes next to be confident in God’s faithfulness.
Whatever your transition looks like, remember that your best days aren’t necessarily behind you. There is still purpose in your future, value in your experience, and opportunity in the days ahead.
Eleven years ago, I ended my article with these words: “The best is yet to come!”
Today, I find myself saying them again.
Not because I know exactly what tomorrow holds, but because I know the One who holds tomorrow.
The best isn’t necessarily behind us. Sometimes the best of life really can be the rest of life when we place it in His hands.
Here’s to the next adventure!
And to the God who has been faithful through every one of them. ☕️