red light green light- I'LL TAKE ANYTHING

You know the times when you have this great idea or opportunity, but you're not sure if it will actually lead anywhere?

That happened to me these past couple weeks. Amidst the crazy college search, a new school, Grand Canyon University, was brought to my attention. It has so many of the things I'm looking for; Hospitality Business, faith based school, D1 athletics (nice perk), 80 DEGREES, and the general thrill of adventure. When the idea arose, I didn't know whether to freak out and ignore it, or run with it for a while. Being the perfectionist that I am, opening up a whole new school option this late in the game sounded like a code name for STRESS. I applied to my other Michigan options in September. We're talking late February, early March here, folks. Talk about an idea from left field.

But... I decided to take the risk and go for it. It was a great feeling. I went with it, even though I had no idea if it would lead me anywhere. This past weekend I packed up for a 36 hour trip to Arizona to see the school. Lemme tell ya- it was amazing. More or less my dream school. I was praying constantly before and during that God would just give me a green light, or a red light. I was so confused that I just wanted a glaring yes or no. I needed Him to give me that gut feeling of "this is it." or "nope." During my visit, I had a unsettled feeling. I couldn't put my finger on it. Like maybe this wasn't it. Even though it seemed too good to be true. The biggest hindering factor is the distance. Arizona is a longgg way from the Mitten. It would have to be beyond perfect for me to leave my community and friends and family. I'd be starting from scratch. Still, it seemed like the school was a contender. It had so many of the things on my want/need list. 

It was ironic, really. My head was telling me "this is amazing", but my gut was telling me otherwise. One of the biggest ways God tells me things is through my instincts and promptings. The Holy Spirit does a lot through my feelings. Even though it seemed so great, there were a lot of little red flags that I couldn't ignore. The more I thought about not going to Grand Canyon, the more peace I felt. It felt right. And that's exactly what I wanted. I wasn't set on going or not going. I was set on going where God was going and what He was leading me to do. And if He wasn't prompting me to get on that bandwagon, I certainly don't want to jump on. A part of me is sad, because it's such a wonderful place. But deep down I know that this is the right choice. 

That's not a perfect recipe for "discerning the will of God", but I've found its a pretty good start. Don't just sit around. Go. Try it out. If you're waiting for an answer in life, God will give you one. But He tends to give me answers when I'm proactive and take a chance. You'll never know unless you try. God is so faithful to show us. This past weekend I got a red light. Red or green, I just wanted a sign, a signal, anything. And that's exactly what I got.