This episode was one of my favorites. Sean, my husband, joins me in telling the conclusion of my story. We share how the past few years have shaped our relationship, brought in a new way of life, and how we both have found new parts of ourselves along the way.
When Everything Changes All at Once
There are moments in life where everything feels like it’s finally settling, like you’ve arrived. That was us.
We had just finished renovating our home. Not just decorating it or making small updates, but building it with our own hands. Every shelf, every cabinet, every detail was something we created together. For the first time in our marriage, it felt like something was truly ours. No chaos. No extra people in the house. No constant pulling in different directions.
Just us.
And it was beautiful.
We were resting. We were enjoying each other. We were finally living in the space we had worked so hard to create.
And then everything changed.
Choosing Family on Purpose
But before the change, we had finally come to the place where we were able to adopt Ana. Though she was already an adult, making her an official part of our family was important to all of us.
This wasn’t about rescuing or filling a gap. This was about choosing each other fully. It was about giving her a place where she didn’t just belong emotionally, but legally, permanently, and intentionally.
We waited for that moment. We wanted her to come into it whole. Not out of pain or out of a reaction, but from a place of clarity and readiness.
And when she was ready, we knew.
That moment was beautiful. It was healing. It was a reminder that family isn’t always something you’re born into. Sometimes it’s something you choose…
The Quiet Before the Shift
After the adoption, life felt… calm.
It was just Sean and me in the house. Something we had never really experienced before. No constant responsibilities. No noise. No chaos.
We would push the couches together, turn on movies, and just be.
It felt like a peak. Like we had finally reached the place we had been working toward for years.
And looking back now, I realize something…
We didn’t know it, but we were being given rest before everything shifted.
The Moment Everything Turned
I’ll never forget it.
Sean came inside, and something felt off. I could see it on his face. When I asked him what was going on, he hesitated. He didn’t want to say it, and knowing now, I wouldn’t have either. I pushed, and when he finally opened his mouth to speak, I thought he was joking.
At first, I laughed, then my laugh turned into disbelief. No. No way.
Sean came in and told me God had told him we needed to move and soon.
We had just finished the house. We had just created this life. There was no part of me that was willing to let that go.
But he wasn’t joking.
And what made it harder was that deep down… I knew what he meant.
Not in my mind. My mind was fighting it with everything I had. But in my spirit, I knew.
I was outgrowing where I was.
And that truth made me angry.
Resistance, Fear, and Letting Go
I fought it.
I argued. I questioned. I pushed back in every way I could. Because from my perspective, it made no sense.
Why would we build something so beautiful just to walk away from it? Why would God give us something just to take it? But what I couldn’t see yet was that it wasn’t being taken from me.
I was being moved. And those are not the same thing.
Leaving Everything Behind
When we finally said yes, everything happened fast. Honestly, too fast to even process. We sold the house in days. We gave away furniture. We packed up our lives into bins and a truck. We didn’t even tell most of our family and friends until it was already happening.
And that part broke my heart.
Leaving my family.
Leaving our friends.
Leaving the place that held so many memories.
It felt like I was watching my life be dismantled piece by piece. And I didn’t know how to hold that.
Arriving and Breaking
When we got to Florida, I thought maybe I would feel peace.
Instead, within hours, everything shattered.
Our dog, Ginger, who had been with us for 16 years… passed away that very first night.
And I remember sitting there thinking what have we done?
We left everything. We followed what we believed was right. And now we’re here, grieving, questioning, and completely undone.
That moment cracked something open in both of us.
Doubt.
Fear.
Regret.
All of it came rushing in.
When Faith Doesn’t Feel Like Peace
There’s this belief that when you’re following God, everything should feel easy. Clear. Peaceful.
But that wasn’t our experience. Following this path felt like a loss. It felt like confusion. I mean, everything was being stripped away.
And yet… There was still something underneath it.
A quiet knowing.
That even in the chaos, we were exactly where we were supposed to be. I think that’s what was harder for me to accept. I didn’t want it to be true.
What I’m Learning About Growth
Sometimes growth doesn’t look like expansion.
Sometimes it looks like everything is falling apart.
Sometimes it looks like being uprooted. Like being placed somewhere unfamiliar. Like losing what once felt safe. But that doesn’t mean you’re off track. It might mean you’re being repositioned.
What if the very thing you’re holding onto… is the thing that’s keeping you from growing?
Key Takeaways
✨ Family can be chosen, and those choices can be deeply healing
✨ Peaceful seasons often come right before major life shifts
✨ Growth sometimes requires leaving what you love
✨ Obedience doesn’t always feel good, but it can still be right
✨ What feels like breaking may actually be the beginning of becoming
Final Thought
If you are in a season where everything feels like it’s changing… where nothing makes sense… where you’re questioning whether you heard wrong…
I want you to know this. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
Sometimes the path to freedom asks you to let go of everything you thought you needed so you can become who you were always meant to be.
And even here, you are not lost.
Next week, I will be concluding the final part of my story. You don’t want to miss it.
