Unforeseen Circumstances...

This time 4 years ago, I was road-tripping to Harding University to visit a few of my high school buddies, Jenna and Caleb included. (I love that those friendships have remained so consistent!) At the ripe old age of 18, we were adjusting to our newly-found freedoms, beginning to understand our individuality. But, we still clung to familiar relationships as we figured out what we could do with a blank slate. Four years sounded like an eternity to a bunch of freshmen. We felt pressure to decide our majors and lay the framework for our professional lives, and I think most of us changed our mind at least a few times. Heck, some of us still don't know what we want to be when we grow up. But I think we are all a lot closer to deciding who we are now than we were then.

Classic pose on the pregnant tree. Legend has it that touching this trunk makes you extra fertile. No babies yet.

This time 3 years ago, I was on family vacation during spring break. We split our week between New York City and Washington, D.C. I was a sophomore at Oklahoma State, and my sister was a junior in high school. That trip was my first experience with a subway or metro mode of transportation. I was bitten by the travel bug while walking the streets of these two fine American cities. At that point, Matthew and I had already planned our trip to Spain later in the summer to study Spanish. But little did I know that our initial experiences abroad would leave us with a severe case of cabin fever.

Outside the NYC Public Library. I still wear that coat, carry that purse, and sleep in that t-shirt. Don't know whether to be proud of my frugality or ashamed of my stagnant wardrobe.

This time 2 years ago, Matthew and I were flying over the mountains surrounding Tegucigalpa, coming in for a landing that was one of the more exciting I've endured. (This particular Honduran runway is so short that only specially qualified pilots are licensed to land on it. And they still miss sometimes.) We were part of a medical mission team sent there to teach doctors at the public hospital how to use certain orthopedic devices in surgery. After the most emotionally trying week of our lives, Matthew's desire to become a physician was solidified. The stories of the patients and families remain with me. Some haunt me, and some fill me with hope. But all of them confirmed in my soul how broken the world is, and thankfully, how great a Healer my Jesus is. It was hard to come home and plan a wedding after witnessing that level of human devastation and suffering.

Preview of the future Dr. and Mrs. Matthew Grant.

This time last year, Matthew and I were boarding separate airplanes and heading to Cambridge for a visit. We had been married for approximately 8 months. He had already been accepted to Baylor College of Medicine. As far as I was concerned, we were moving to Texas after we graduated from OSU. Then, we made a week-long trek across the United Kingdom. Matthew and Chad held some meetings with a few Cambridge colleges. They completed short interviews with their respective potential programs of study. I remember how everything felt like it was being squeezed in at the last minute. This wasn't what we had planned for our post-graduation timeline. There was no way that the laundry list of requirements would fall into place in such a crunch. But, fall into place they did. Providentially, I might add. I never expected to lay eyes on the River Cam again. I had resigned to the fact that that stamp would be the final one on my passport from UK immigrations officers. Obviously, God had other plans. And they were big. Kinda like Him. 

Matthew unwittingly wore the Girton green. Funny how that ended up.

That brings us to this year. I'm probably skipping ahead of myself a bit, but I don't feel ready to start this next journey. In my 23 years, I don't think I have ever really been ready to leave one chapter in life for the next. I left Broken Arrow because I finished high school, and it was time to go to college. Four years later, I left Stillwater because I finished college, and it was time for Matthew to get his Master's. Before we know it, we will be leaving Cambridge because Matthew will have finished his Master's. And all of a sudden, it's time to start medical school. Is this how life goes from here on out? Does my great-grandmother think to herself, "It was only yesterday that my kids were born. Then, their kids were born. Then, their kids' kids were born. And soon enough, my great-grandkids' kids will be born." How does it blow by so fast and furious? Not that I am dreading the next step. We've been well taken care of thus far, and I'm not afraid of the unknown. Although, I would be lying if I said I wasn't anxious. But, thank the Lord, the circumstances that have been unforeseen by me have been preordained by The One and Only.

"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps."  

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT) 

As I have discovered through this wonderful detour of our months in Cambridge, I can devise all the carefully crafted plans I want. I can create spreadsheets, think of every 'what-if' scenario, prepare for the worst, and run myself ragged trying to make things work out the way I think they should. But, at the end of the day, God chooses whether I take another breath, let alone another step. And I can say with all that is within my soul, that I trust His leading. He hasn't steered me wrong yet. He's like an infallible GPS. And more graciously still, He guides me to the places I didn't even know that I needed to go with the promise of blessing me beyond measure at my final destination. Should I fall off course, He is patiently ever-present, waiting to recalculate my route for me.

This time next year I could be anywhere. I won't even attempt to guess. I assume I'll be in Houston, but you know what happens when you assume... you end up on the other side of the Atlantic among people with awesome accents. (That's how that saying goes, right?) For now, I'll take heart in the confidence I have in my uber-qualified Guide, and face my current road head on. Time to hit the ground running!