Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER. – Mark Twain
On April 7, 2011, Matt and I packed up our home in Michigan and headed west. If you had asked me on that day how I felt about moving, I would have exploded in tears and said I wished we could unpack our U-Haul and keep living life the way it had been. I was an emotional wreck – as should be expected! I had lived in the same area my entire life, have deep friendships there, and my entire family (minus my sister Kristin who lives in Denver!) were all in a 20 minute drive of each other, and my business was thriving. So why in the heck did we decide to leave all of this and start a new life in a place where we had no jobs, would be living in a tiny house old house that costs the same as our beautiful new home in Michigan, and didn’t have any friends?!?!? Because sometimes taking a risk means giving up something that is great so that we can experience something that is even greater. Most of our culture would say we were crazy and foolish, but our dreams are bigger than living this so called American Dream. A lot of dreams die because we aren’t willing to do something that seems illogical and it usually takes stepping out in faith to see big things happen.
Almost 10 months later, I can honestly say that I am very happy that we made sacrifices because we have gained so much. I have felt myself grow and change more during this time than ever before. It didn’t happen overnight, but somehow I almost feel like a completely different person. I didn’t have any friends when we moved here, so I just decided that I would be over the top friendly every place that I went and that I would be the one making friends. I was starting my business from scratch again, so I became proactive and have worked very hard to become re-established. Matt and I have a stronger marriage as we have been on this adventure together. Growing is kind of an addictive feeling! I have really enjoyed the challenges that we have faced and this feeling of growth! I really think that the greatest breakthroughs in life will happen when we push through our fears – and I was certainly fearful on that day our moving truck was pulling away from everything that was familiar to me. These defining moments will also double as our scariest decisions! It’s tough to describe, but there is something about facing our fears that can also make us feel alive. I know that I certainly feel more alive than ever!
Let me back up my story. When I married Matt in 2003, I knew he was a man that loved adventure and taking risks. I am the same way (which is why we are a good fit!), but it takes me a lot longer to say yes to those risks. Part of our big dream is to start a church where people can meet Jesus in a real way and build meaningful community with each other. That has been such a major part of our own personal stories and we want to help others experience the kind of life we have found. I knew that Matt wanted to move away from West Michigan to pursue this dream, so I thought, hmmm, maybe I should pray and ask God to make Matt want to stay in Michigan forever! So I did. I secretly prayed for a year and half for this. One day Matt came home from work and said, I’ve decided that we should just stay in Grand Rapids and we will start a church here. He knew that is what I wanted. You would think that I would have been thrilled. God had answered my prayers! I felt the exact opposite. I knew I had been praying the safe prayer and that staying in Grand Rapids would just be a cop out for us and that we would regret living the safe life someday. Deep inside I knew we had to do something counter-intuitive if we were going to reach our God given potential and destiny. We had to walk away from security and chase uncertainty.
So here we are! Chasing those big dreams of ours and growing exponentially in the process. Momentum is building and those dreams are unfolding before our eyes.
I put together this video before Christmas to share with our friends and family back in home in Michigan and now I want to share it with all of you. It’s a look at this journey we’ve been on. VIEWER WARNING: Watching this video may make you want to move to Denver – or at least go on a big adventure!
I’ll wrap up with this. Are you facing your fears in exchange for living an even greater life and future? German author Johan Wolfgang von Goethe sums it up perfectly – “Hell begins the day God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do.” Today is the day to start living!
Please Leave A Comment