I believe we all come to several crossroads in life and I am once again at mine. Like all crossroads I have a choice to either take the low and easy road, or to take the high road where a brand new season awaits me with all its thrills and challenges. I am glad to say I have chosen the latter, even though it is full of unknowns and that big question we tend to ask when we are about to step into something new: “What if it doesn’t work out?” Yet even as I give voice to my concern, God’s peace settles upon my heart and He whispers, “You’ve been here before, remember?”
The ‘here before’ the Lord reminds me of happened 12 plus years ago. After several months of delays, my boys and I had finally been granted our passports but the struggle to leave Zimbabwe and join my husband in New Zealand was far from over. It would be around another six weeks before our medicals and visa applications would be approved by New Zealand Immigration. In the meantime I had a 14-year-old and 12-year-old to cope with and I was at snapping point.
The longer we waited, the more worried I became. There was extreme political unrest in Zimbabwe at the time, so much so that I feared the ruling party would declare martial law and close its borders. The thought of not being able to leave the country of my birth was scary. I don’t think I’ve ever prayed so hard for God to undertake for us and He answered in a way I shall never forget.
It was in early January 2006 when we experienced the tropical storm. The high winds wreaked havoc in the garden and in among the debris of leaves, twigs and branches was a nest with two newly-hatched doves in it. Peter, my youngest, begged me to allow him to hand raise them, but I refused. He’d accidentally killed the last chick he’d nurtured and I didn’t want to deal with his heartbreak again. So back into the tree the nest went.
But that night, the wind once again blew the nest back onto the ground. Sadly, only one of the hatchlings had survived. The accusing look in Peter’s eyes as he cradled the remaining chick caused me to waver and I agreed to let him keep the bird, though I didn’t think it would live for long. To my surprise, however, the hatchling did well on ground birdseed mixed with cereal. Before long, it began to sprout feathers and was soon hopping out of its jersey-lined box to look around. We immediately put it in a cage to avoid treading on it by mistake.
As the little bird grew, flourished and began learning how to fly, so God began speaking to my heart through the words of that old song: His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. As the words went around and around in my head, so faith arose and I knew our futures were safe in the Lord’s hand. His leading had been so clear up to this point and I was sure He would bring us to our destination at just the right time. And He did. By mid-March, we had our visas and plane tickets. What we did not know until later, though, was that New Zealand had closed its borders to migrants from Zimbabwe due to a spate of forged passports and documents. That we were granted entry can only be because of God’s intervention and nothing else.
Two things I learned from this time in my life. When God says His eye is on us, He means it. And when He places before us an open door, not even tight border controls can prevent us from entering it. So, as I face the new crossroads in my life, I know I can trust the Lord completely. He has never failed me, and He never will.