On the other side of yes – Can I have an Amen?

My Sunday church services introduced a new theme.  It is called “one the other side of yes.”  For the pastor and the community, the topic revolves around choosing Jesus as your savior and committing to him 100%.  I know, and I appreciate, that people have different views on spirituality or Christianity, and this is by no means a religious blog post.  It is about making major decisions in your life and what happens once you have made them. 

I am finding myself at a crossroads.  I recently decided that after 27 years of living in the United States I am returning to Europe.  It is a major leap of faith, and this decision has not come easily to me.  Yet, in my mind, I have reached the point of no return.  I recently posted a reel on Instagram, and the music title I chose was “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.”  (referring to me and my dog Boone 🐾).

This made me wonder – at what times and in what scenarios have you found yourself saying “yes” to a life-changing question?  I am not talking about the small yeses we make every hour of the day, like deciding what we will have for lunch, whether to wear a blue or a red outfit, coloring our hair, etc. You get the point. I am talking about commitment – the kind of commitment where you risk a lot, if not everything, about your current existence.  Marriage, having children, buying a home, moving to another state or country, choosing to live and love. 

Many people will go through life blindfolded.  I am observing this without judgment as there is some truth to the saying that ignorance is bliss.  I would like to explore the experiences where you were at a major crossroads and then consciously chose to commit to something big and disruptive. 

I can say for myself that I have done it multiple times in my life.  One of my earlier experiences was when I chose to live in France after high school and after I had back surgery.  I have vivid memories of getting on that train, the people at the station, the connections I made on the 24-hour train ride from Bremerhaven to Marseille, and my arrival in the early morning hours when the father of the household I was staying at picked me up.  I recall my thoughts of “What the hell was I thinking?!” yet, for me, moving to the South of France and all the other major yeses I committed to turned out pretty awesome.  Even looking at my 17-year-long marriage that ended in divorce, I am grateful for the lessons I learned, and these lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life. 

So here I am, making another life-changing decision to return to Europe. Much of my future is unknown, but I have faith that things will work out in my favor.  It is very well possible that I will have moments of “What the hell was I thinking?!”  I’ll also have a lifetime of wisdom and perspective and a family that will pick me up at the airport when Boone and I arrive.  I can’t wait to get to the other side of Yes.  Can I have an Amen?