Redirected

By: Brian Frye, Resonate Pullman

Make no mistake, God is a God of redirection. He’s constantly guiding, directing, and moving us to prepare us for His plans and purposes. Doubt it? Spend some time looking at the lives of those who listen to and obey God’s voice. Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah, Job, John the Baptist, the disciples, Paul, and everyone else in history who accepted the gospel and lived in obedience to God experienced regular and significant changes in direction. In short:  Following God = Redirection. 

At first, the idea of God redirecting your path toward something unfamiliar may feel negative or undesirable. But here’s the reality: When you follow God, your life is radically altered. You are not meant to stay the same, but to change and grow. He invites us into His story, which often includes unpredictable adventures.

In March 2016, my wife Heidi and I began having a conversation about God redirecting our lives. With a variety of emotions we processed these questions, “Why? Where? How? When?” We had to choose to say yes to the possibility that God could be calling us to leave all that was familiar, and secure, and successful over the last eleven years to join what He was doing elsewhere. He was redirecting us to Resonate. 

In August 2019, 3 years later, we left Ohio and drove 2,300 miles to Pullman, WA.  We took a leap of obedience, believing fully in God’s direction and trusting He would provide for the journey. Some may read this and think, “Yep, the Frye’s have lost it.” Some will think we waited too long to follow. For others, words “crazy,” “irresponsible,” and “unwise” may be the dominant thoughts.  It would be one thing to make this kind of decision in our 20s, but we are in the 40+ group with three teenage sons. Who does this without a clear plan in place?

It’s now November 2019. We are three months into God’s “redirection” and we are beginning to experience the consequences of obedience. Here’s what has happened so far:

1. Heidi got an incredible job, on an incredible team in an incredible company. She had been a stay-at-home mom for twelve years. Only God could do that. 

2. I left my job and over the last several months applied for 28 corporate jobs, gotten rejection letters from half of them, and am just now getting a few interviews. We are waiting to see where He redirects me vocationally.

3. We walked into an amazing housing situation, and we have already hosted a little over 60 people for meals and events—both believers and unbelievers.

4. Our boys have connected with new friends, and have adjusted into new schools and youth group. They have bravely faced redirection and God is providing.

5. We are still uncertain what our lives on mission should look like in the day to day here. However, we see a myriad of possibilities in situations where God may be inviting us to join His activity, so we continue to trust Him with this unknown.

6. With our relationships here, we feel like both outsiders and insiders.

7. We as a family (all five of the #Fryetribe) know without a doubt that we are where we are supposed to be, and we are excited about the journey ahead.

Now let me ask you a question. Based on what we’ve experienced, did we make the right decision? One could say, “It looks like the right decision with a bunch of good things happening  for the Fryes.” The reality is, however, whether our lives in Washington are incredibly wonderful or painfully difficult, evaluating our decision is not based on circumstances we see. Our only evaluation is this: Did we listen to and obey what God asked us to do? If the answer is “yes,” then we are moving in the right direction: obedience. We must trust in God’s leading and believe that He wants what is best for us and has that in His plan.

As you consider our story, let me inquire about yours. Is there a redirection that God has shared with you about your life? Is He guiding you away from something or someone? Is He inviting you to join Him in a new place to reach a new group of people after graduation? Is God calling you to join staff? You don’t have to know how it will all work together before saying yes to God’s redirection.

Whatever God has for your life, know that 1) He loves you; 2) His plan is better than your best plan; and 3) You will always benefit your life and others most when you listen to and obey whatever God is calling you to do.