“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Life can change in the blink of an eye.

One moment you can be comfortably cruising through your circumstances. And the next, you can be seriously struggling to keep your head above the waters.

That’s how I felt for the past year and a half.

Don’t worry, I’ll explain!

In the Fall of 2017, I got engaged to my amazing now husband, AJ. Good news right? That was the comfortable part.

Together with our families we settled on an early sumner 2018 wedding date. That gave us a little over nine months to prepare for the most important day of our lives.

It was also the beginning of the seriously struggling part.

Take it from me, what you see in your favorite romantic movie is nothing compared to what happens in real life. In fact, the emotional and financial stress of planning a wedding can make or break even the strongest relationship.

Added to our challenge of two becoming one, was learning to live together for the first time. Becoming a blended family. My husband adjusting to living in a different state. Adapting to cultural differences. And adding another member to our family, all within the first few months of marriage.

Let’s just say I quickly went from feeling like I had it somewhat together, to feeling like a complete mess!

With all these changes happening behind the scenes, I knew I had to take a break. It was becoming more and more difficult to try to help others, when I needed help myself.

It was time to be silent.

I’ll be honest, initially I was afraid of losing followers and the momentum I’d established for my blog in the past few years. But I knew God was moving me into a new season and building my social media platform was no longer a priority.

After all, what good would it be to have a flourishing online presence but a failed home life and marriage?

Without notice I stopped posting new content. But then the strangest thing started happening.

Every week I would get daily notifications. New followers kept joining my online community; old posts were being shared, liked and commented on.

Even though I went silent, God kept speaking through my past writings. There was nothing for me to do, except focus all my time, energy and attention to what God was doing in my heart and my family.

The past year and a half reminded me of a valuable lesson.

Often times God will ask us to make a move that to us feels like we’re taking a step back. It defies our logic and seems completely counterproductive. Yet in the end it’s exactly what we need to propel us to the next level.

Isaiah 55:8-9 puts it this way, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Going silent definitely wasn’t my idea but it was exactly what I needed to renew and replenish my spirit and soul. It gave me a much needed recharge after running on autopilot for so long.

Maybe you feel God stirring your heart into a new season. Maybe you’re debating taking a step in an unimaginable direction.

Can I offer you some advice today?

Don’t delay. Follow His leading. Unapologetically.

Not everyone will understand your decision; you might have your doubts as well. But the reward for your obedience will far exceed anything you think you might miss out on.

Remember, every thing God does is for a purpose. A well planned, wonderful purpose.

Sometimes it just takes silencing the noise of everyday life to reveal the bigger picture.