When God Moves, You Move

By Ashley N Holloway

Have you ever flown on an airplane and hit turbulence? The pilot comes across the intercom and says, "Flight attendants, take your seats and fasten your seat belts." Once the buckle your seatbelts sign illuminates the overhead, everyone remains seated. Amid the turbulence, the pilot has complete control of the plane. There

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sweet & Precious Goods LLC
• Release date: Oct 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781088000274

Book preview

Introduction

Be not anxious in anything, but in all things with prayer petition and thanksgiving make your request known to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and minds. Phil 4:6

Are you sure you want to retire, Ash? Are you and Gemayel sure you are ready? Have you both really thought about this? What about your mortgage? What if Gemayel loses his job?" What if, what if, what if? We received these questions every time we mentioned my retirement. Was this encouraging? Absolutely not. Was it scary? Absolutely not? Why? Because, at the time, we believed my retiring from corporate America was best for our family. We proceeded with our decision, but, oh, did God have other plans! When God moves, you m ove!!

On December 17, 2019, my husband drove up to the circle drive of Texas Children’s Hospital, one of the best children’s hospitals in America, to pick me up. My co-worker walked me out and gave me a big hug. I was like a kid in the candy store when I saw my husband pull up. I jumped in the car with a huge smile on my face. Congratulations, my husband said. That was supposed to be my last day working a nine to five job. Who would have thought that I would be retired from the corporate world at the age of 34? It felt like a dream that I did not want to wake up from. The thought of being a stay-at-home mother had always been that, just a thought.

Chapter 1

The Dreamer Versus the Dream Killer

A few years back, Gemayel and I read a book together that talked about the importance of the family and the structure of a family. The author wrote about the significance of the wife taking care of the house and children while the husband worked to provide for the family. Gemayel and I envisioned what it would be like to live out the American Dream. We talked about all the benefits that would enhance our marriage and family. The American Dream seemed far-fetched. At least for me, it did. My husband, being the dreamer that he is, thought other wise.

I said to my husband, Too bad we will never be able to live the American Dream. Gemayel said, What do you mean we will not be able to live the American Dream? You are such a dream killer. I responded, I am not a dream killer, but rather a realist. He said, Sometimes you have to believe things will happen and stop being such a pessimist. I told him that I am not a pessimist. I told him, I believe in keeping it real. What you see is what you get. He repeated himself, Like I said earlier, you are a dream killer. My response to him was, You do not think realistically. So that conversation did not go too well.

One warm sunny day, as I walked with my cousin, we talked about Dr. Tony Evans, an American Christian pastor, author, and speaker. In one of his messages, he mentioned that it is better to plan than not to plan, but make sure you leave some room for God to make some adjustments. Boy, did God make some adjustments to my family’s 2020 plans!

Chapter 2

SSDD: Same Stuff Different Day

While I was working at the hospital, anyone could figure out what I was doing any given day because I was doing the same thing every day. SSDD, also known as ‘same stuff, different day,’ was my life and this way of living was boring and tedious. Did I really want to live in monotony for the next thirty years? I say thirty years because that would put me at retirement age. Did I want to continue waking up to the sound of an alarm? The answer to both of those questions is No. Do not get me wrong, I am a stickler for orderliness and structure, but the day-to-day routine was getting ver y old.

Monday through Friday, I had my alarm set for 5:45 a.m. With my mind on autopilot, the routine commenced. Each morning, I would brush my teeth, wash my face, put on my scrubs, and comb my hair. All of this had to happen within a thirty-minute window because I wanted every minute of sleep that I could get. Whenever my alarm sounded, there was no time for my hitting the snooze button. Even a five-minute delay could lead to my missing the 7:04 a.m. bus for work. Around 6:15 a.m., I packed lunches and prepared breakfast for us all. We had oatmeal some mornings or scrambled eggs on others. On my slow-moving mornings, I would have the kids eat a bowl of cereal while I packed my breakfast and lunch.

Prayer and morning chats are essential in our family as God is the head of our lives. We consider having a meaningful spiritual relationship, so we never leave the house before grabbing hands and praying together. Some mornings the prayers were brief, depending on the time, while other days, they were lengthy. The kids would get antsy and try to squeeze out of our hands during the longer ones. Afterwards, we hugged and told one another that we loved each other, and then I would be out the door.

Some mornings my kids would say, Mommy, why do you always have to go to work? My kind response was often, I know. I go to work so that you all can have what you have. After uttering the words, I love you, I would head out the door at 6:50 a.m. to catch the bus. If I were running behind schedule, I would speed down Fondren Road to make sure I did not miss my bus, which was Bus Number 170. Whew! I would get tired just thinking about the first two hours of my day. I was tired before even stepping foot on the bus and arriving to work.

After finding a seat on the bus, I prepared myself mentally for the workday. I often looked forward to the quiet morning commute as an opportunity to pray, meditate, and listen to gospel music with no distractions during