Not Our Will, But Yours

A few weeks ago, Parker and I were given an embracing reality check. Parker had a selection to determine the type of plane he will fly in advanced training and then fly throughout his career in the Navy. I didn't really talk about it much because honestly we didn't expect it to be a big deal. He wanted strike (F18s), and we all thought he would get it. He came home from his selection board with a blank look in his face and told me he selected E2/C2. Any planning we had done for the future was instantly wiped clean. Our future in the Navy was suddenly very different from how we imagined it.

Parker and I didn't talk much about this selection beforehand. Like I said, we felt like we knew how it was going to go. I didn't talk much about it with family or friends, and neither did he. A few weeks before he was supposed to select, I did begin to pray. I realized that each route would lead to a completely different experience in the Navy from here on out. It was way too big of a decision for us to think we could make on our own. There are so many unknowns about military life, and we knew that going in. However, with each step we wanted to feel 100% confidant that God had us right where He wanted us. Thus far, it's been easy. God's plan for us was also our plan. Parker wanted to commission and go into aviation, and God granted him that. Parker wanted to select jets in Kingsville, and God granted him that. It's been really easy to put our faith in God because God has given us exactly what we wanted. It isn't until God gives you the unexpected that your faith is really put to the test.

When I prayed those weeks leading up to the selection, I prayed the same phrase over and over again.

Lord, not our will, but yours.

I didn't feel qualified to ask God to allow Parker to select strike when I in no way know what is best for him or our family. I felt really at peace when the selection rolled around, and I know that peace came from God. Again though, I really thought I knew what was going to happen. Parker and I both did. We wanted God's guidance and perfect plan for our lives, but in our minds, we already knew what that plan was.

This happened a couple of weeks ago, and we are still adjusting to the idea. As silly as it may sound, the results of this selection changed our lives. We are going to be moving to places we did not plan on, and Parker will be flying a plane that was not his first choice. And you know what? We couldn't be more confident in what God has chosen for us. Looking back on it, it's so clear that this was His plan for us all along. There are so many little things leading up to the selection that played a hand in the results, some in Parker's control and others outside his control. When we examine those pieces, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is where God wants us. I prayed for God's will to be done in our lives and in this selection, and I know that it has been. 

Parker will be flying one of these planes in the fleet (C-2 on the left, E-2 on the right)

We may not have a magic ball. We may not know what the next few years are going to look like for us, but we know this: God has us right where He wants us. There is nothing in this world I would rather more than to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is guiding our journey.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope."- Jeremiah 29:11

This has been my favorite verse since I was a little girl. My twin sister read it at our wedding. Today, Parker and I are clinging to this verse and bursting with contentment over the plans God has laid out for us. Not our will, but His.