I had a plan for my life and it changed.  There was a time when my dream was to be a professional stage actress.

(Yep, that’s me.)

It was more than a dream; it was a goal I worked hard towards for many years.  I even got my degree in musical theatre.  But there came a point in my life when I realized I loved the stage, but I didn’t love the lifestyle that came with it.  It meant traveling and going from one job to the next and always auditioning and rejection and long reherasals and late night performances.  I knew it wasn’t what God had for my life, so I put it on a shelf.

Last week, I went to New York to film a segment for The Nate Berkus Show.  (I don’t know when it’s airing, yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out.)  It was an exciting trip and I’ll share all of the details down the road…

…but it was also a defining moment for me personally.  There I was in New York City, in a dressing room with my name on it.  In a way, it was what I had always dreamed about, except it was totally different and so much better.  I was enjoying the “I’ve made it” energy in New York City, but it wasn’t as a starving artist.  It was as a stay-at-home youth pastor’s wife and mom who started a business out of necessity and a love of decorating.  It was hand-in-hand with my husband through Central Park to watch a Broadway show from the second row and celebrate all of the amazing things that have happened in the last couple of years.  A book deal, magazine features, a TV show appearance and an awesome retail space…  It’s overwhelming and humbling.

I’m not saying all of this to say, “Oh, I’m so great, look at me and all I did.”  I want to share it because you may have had a plan for your life and it had to go on a shelf and God may have something for you that is so much better.  I don’t know what that is, but I do know one thing for certain…

…His ways are higher than ours.