Fast forward to the end of that first semester at Lipscomb and playing house was not getting any better. We could barely pay rent and actually ended up having to move to a new complex because we got behind on payments. As a very type A person, this was not an ideal situation for me, and we were still making wreck less decisions. I really didn’t see a positive end in sight. As I continued to engage in learning and discussion in the bible classes at Lipscomb, I needed to change my path. One morning, I told my boyfriend, “We have to end this or move to Texas.” (Side note – he is from Texas and most of his family resides there) Shockingly enough, he agreed, and we began discussing a plan to move and set some boundaries for ourselves.
The plan included him going to live with his aunt and uncle in Canada for a month to reinvest in his relationship with Jesus. He would be counseled and use that time to reflect on his future, too. With the encouragement of his family, we decided that he wouldn’t come back to Tennessee after Canada, but that he would move straight to Texas; I, on the other hand, would finish my semester and join him toward the summer. God saw that plan through, and we moved to Texas in July of 2005. We immediately began going to church with his family there and shortly after started leading a men’s and women’s bible study group out of our home. It wasn’t immediate, but God definitely began to open our eyes to a much more peaceful way of living.
Don’t get me wrong, we still had trouble and growing pains even through the recommitment of our relationships with Jesus, but His grace and mercy continued to see us through each step of the new journey. After roughly fifteen years in Texas, we’re now back in Tennessee; all in, fully committed to serving the Lord.