8 Strips Of Paper

It was 2006, and I was in a season of turmoil—standing at the crossroads of chasing my ambitions and seeking God’s purpose for my life. I wrestled with where my own desires ended and where His calling began.

During that time, I was reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George. One night, I tore a page from my notebook and wrote down eight things I needed God to help me with—each on a strip of paper.

In no particular order, my list read:

To be godly feminine

To be alone but not lonely

To be a better steward of money

To be a better steward of time

To learn to live in a Christian community

To find a life partner

To have more faith in Him

To have more courage

I folded the eight strips of paper and placed them in a shoebox. A few months later, I opened the box to revisit my list. Nothing had changed.

A year later, on my birthday, I opened the box again. Not much had happened, except one thing: I realized I was no longer as lonely when I was alone.

At the end of 2007, I made a bold decision—to leave the corporate world and become a full-time seminary student. It meant living on campus for at least a year, without a stable income. It was a scary step. (The initial one year became three years).

A year into seminary life, I opened the shoebox again. This time, I found that almost every prayer had been answered:

I was learning to be godly feminine.

I have learned to live in a community of believers.

With no regular income, I learned to steward both time and money with discipline.

My faith was growing. So was my courage.

All except one—“to find a life partner.”

But God wasn’t done. I met him in seminary. He was a fellow student, also following God’s call. We became friends, then more. Two years after I graduated, we got married. The final prayer in the shoebox was answered.

Blessings Come After Obedience

My journey reminded me of Abraham.

In Genesis 12, God gave Abraham a command:
“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
(Genesis 12:1, NIV)

God didn’t give Abraham a detailed plan. There was no map, no itinerary.

But God let him know the blessings he would receive if he chose to obey God.
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
(Genesis 12:2–3)

So, Abraham obeyed and he went.

The blessings didn’t come before Abraham moved—they came after his obedience. That’s the pattern we see throughout Scripture. When we obey and take the step of faith, even when we can’t see the whole picture, God responds. He transforms us in the process.

And so, I leave you with this simple reminder:
that blessings come after obedience.
Not instantly. Not always the way we imagined. But always, in God’s time and way.