The Balloon

Proverbs 21 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.

As I am writing this entry I am enjoying the most beautiful view on this most beautiful morning. From the french doors of our living room in Albuquerque the sun is beginning to rise over the Sandia Mountains, their peaks still iced with snow. I am told that the name, Sandia, means watermelon which is appropriate because in the afternoon when the sunset lies on the face of the rocks they glow pink. But at sunrise they are blue-gray. Rising up over the banks of the Rio Grande are the famous hot air balloons of New Mexico. The float by my windows blocking out the sun momentarily. They are so peaceful, so colorful. They are like souls. Rising and falling. Carried by the wind. Led by the pilot. And at the end of their journey they are folded like a tent and put away.

The King's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord, He turns it wherever He will.

Yesterday (and for about the one millionth time) I was amazed at how much my Father has a active role in my life. How could I ever forget that I do not walk this life alone or in my own strength? I come again to the realization that the dreams in my heart were placed there for a purpose. The hope that I have for Israel, for travel nursing, for my job and my desires come from my Father. They are not of my own design.

For the last few months Ken and I have been working toward taking a travel assignment in New York city. I have never been there and it seems very far out of reach for a girl from Flat Rock Alabama. But since it has become a desire in both our hearts to try, we decided to pay for the very expensive nursing license and put my name in the pot with the thousands of travel nurses hoping to land a job in Manhattan.

It has been a long process but finally, on Thursday, I got confirmation. I have a New York license to practice as a registered nurse. My recruiter sent my profile over to an oupatient chemotherapy center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan.

On Friday afternoon a lady that I like a lot came in for her chemotherapy so I stopped by to chat with her for a moment. She is a nurse as well and so we have some things in common and we are about the same age. During our conversation she asked where we planned on going for our next travel assignment and I told her how Ken and I have this feeling that we should try to go to New York. I will paraphrase somewhat the conversation that followed....

Oh really, what a coincidence, my sister lives in upstate New York. She is an oncology doctor.

Oh, wow, where?

She works in Manhattan?

Oh, WOW, where?

Memorial Sloan-Kettering.

REALLY?

So what are the odds that this could happen. She gets on the phone right then, calls her sister and asks if she can help make sure that I get an opportunity to travel to Manhattan.

Coincidence?

Maybe. Not.

Who knows what the next step is, right? My Father does.

All I need to do is to leave my mind and heart open to Him. To be flexible in His hands. To hold my life loosely before Him. To offer Him what I am and to believe that it is enough.

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.

Father I do not know all that you have planned for me but I want to be open to whatever it is. Albuquerque, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Chattanooga, Flat Rock or Manhattan. I want my life and my work to count for Your kingdom. If I live at Shevet Achim in communal housing I am excited about that. If you send us to Bethlehem to live in Rafi's basement I am excited about that. If we live in our little cottage in Chattanooga I am excited about that. If we live in Trump Towers in Manhattan I am excited about that. My home is with my husband and in Your care. Help us to have the courage to walk through the doors that You open. Teach us to be fluid streams in Your hands, turning wherever You will.