Barker Bits: What does it mean to be settled?

What does it mean to be settled? That question has been swimming around in my mind for the last few days. For years we lived in a state of unsettledness. Let me be clear, unsettled does not mean unhappy. We were very happy! However, we knew that life as we knew it would not be able to continue indefinitely. We knew that we did not both want to be working high-stress jobs with long hours forever. We also knew that at some point, if Chris continued at his current employer, we would need to move...away from family, friends, school...away from our corner of the world, the place our kids had known since the day they were born.

Step 1- I quit my job to stay at home. We took a HUGE leap of faith. God honored our decision and provided for our family in ways we could not have even imagined. Praise Him! So very thankful for his guiding hand and confirmation.

Step 2- We began the process of making the move to Euless. House was put on the market. We began homeschooling to see if it would be a long-term option for our family, since we knew that the schooling options in the new part of town were not favorable.

Step-3 The house sold. We lived with Mom for a short time. We bought a house. We renovated. We moved in.

Step 4- Get settled.

What does that mean? Countless people have asked me over the last few months, "Are you getting settled in?" After living for years knowing that things would most likely be changing, I am not sure I know what it means to be settled. Over the last couple of weeks I have been wondering, "Should we keep homeschooling next year?" I get anxious thinking, "Are we doing the right thing?" Am I teaching my kids what they need to learn, how they need to learn it? And, so as I have asked the Lord to show me what His plan is, I felt Him saying to me, "Get settled." Where He has us right now is exactly where we are supposed to be. In Euless, homeschooling and spending some really great time together as a family. I need to trust Him. I need to relax...and get settled.

Does that mean that all of my doubts and worries will disappear? Probably not. But I do know that I can lay them at His feet every day and trust that if something needs to change He will show us the way. I just need to live this out.

As we move forward, I'll let you know exactly what "getting settled" means for our family.

In the meantime, what's a blog post with no pictures?! Here are a few snapshots from our lives over the last couple of months.

Mom, Anna and I. Honestly, the very hardest part of moving...not seeing Mom every day.