God also allows and arranges the events of our lives to teach us, to grow our character, and to bring about His ultimate purpose for each of us. One such example was when my daughters spent their elementary and middle school years at a local Christian school. Their elementary years were wonderful, but as they approached middle school, friendships became more difficult, so I scrambled to find alternatives.
Day after day the girls came home in tears, describing their heart-wrenching difficulties. The bullying was real, and it was rough. We were all miserable. During her second week of ninth grade, my oldest daughter, Bell, came home and said she couldn’ t do it anymore. We prayed and fasted that weekend, and God gave us very clear guidance from Scripture confirming that we were to pull her out immediately. The next day we enrolled her in the school where my husband coached football. As a result, all three of my girls
attended that high school, which proved to be an incredible answer to prayer. Looking back, I realize that I never would have removed them from their former school if God hadn’ t allowed the heat to be turned up seven times hotter.
It was His will to allow the difficulties to intensify in order to push my daughters toward where He wanted them to be. He placed them in the new school because He wanted to use my girls as lights in what are often confusing high school years. Each of my girls led multiple kids to place their faith in Jesus while there.
Where has God placed you? Has it become intolerable or unbearable? Could God be getting ready to move you? Have you wondered why God placed you in a dysfunctional family? Or in a wartorn country? All His placements have purpose. He is incredibly strategic, down to the smallest
36