Walking in Obedience: Trusting God Alone
By: Deborah Peele, Perimeter School fifth grade teacher
Have you ever felt lost in life, wondering what to do next, wanting to be obedient to God, but struggling to hear His voice?
Two years ago, I started to feel this stirring in my spirit that change was coming. I didn’t know what that meant. I had been teaching at a small, Christian school for 19 years and was wondering if change meant a different position, so I applied for a few different things … but nothing ever worked out. Fast forward to January 2023 when the word “new” came to my mind in correlation with these Bible verses: “Behold, I am doing a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19) and “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:15). I thought this might be a word from the Lord, but what did He mean by this practically? I’m a tangible, practical person and want all the implications laid out to understand them.
That was when I remembered Emily P. Freeman’s Q&A. Her Q&A doesn’t mean “Questions and Answers” - it means “Questions and Arrows.” In her book and podcast, The Next Right Thing, she explains that in life, we have a lot of questions, but God doesn’t always give us the answers right away. What He does give us are arrows … sometimes one arrow at a time directing us step by step into the new thing He has for us. So, I started to pay attention and look for those arrows.
He gives us arrows
The first arrow came when I was serving at Perimeter Church’s First Sunday Brunch a few weeks later. I happened to be hosting a table with Ansley Bonaventure, Perimeter School Middle School Principal. After I talked briefly about how I felt the Lord had given me the word “new” and wondered aloud if it meant that I was supposed to pursue a new job, she wanted to hear more of my story and invited me to dinner - there was my next arrow. Even though it was a short dinner, I left feeling so encouraged and seen. Two weeks later, she asked if I had given any more thought to applying to Perimeter School and sent me the link to apply - there was another arrow. I decided to fill out the application and see what would happen.
During the application process, my sister-in-law’s mom was diagnosed with cancer, and I felt the Lord press upon my spirit that I needed to be at Perimeter School next school year to be closer to my nephew who would be in seventh grade. This was the confirmation - one might say an arrow - that I needed to continue with the process. Eventually, I was hired! I had such peace and confidence that Perimeter School was exactly where I needed to be for this school year.
As I am writing this, I am in awe of God’s timing of leaving my old school at the exact right time. My former coworker (at my former school) and dear friend fought a hard, quick battle with cancer this past summer. In God’s kindness, I was able to spend a lot of time with her during her battle and go to her funeral, which was on what would have been my first day back at my former school. Providentially, Perimeter School started a week and a half later. Although I didn’t have much time to grieve and process before school started, I graciously had a little more time than my old schedule would have allowed, and that was a gift.
As Puddleglum says in The Silver Chair, “You see, Aslan didn’t tell Pole what would happen. He only told her what to do.” So often, we don’t know why God presses something onto our hearts. We may not even see a desired outcome immediately, but I have learned through this process that God is good and has good plans for me. I may not always understand them, but I need to remember that I am a beloved child of the King, and His heart towards me is kind. I get the opportunity to trust Him, follow Him, and leave the consequences of that up to Him.