On the Other Side of Uncertain Obedience: How God Says Yes to Our Desires

By Jenny Erlingsson

God's Brave Women - Jenny's Story

I didn’t want to say yes. Yes meant that I would have to give up so much more than I was ready for. I wanted to obey God—to please Him in every way. But I didn’t want to say yes to a move that would take me away from my family, friends and the rhythm of life I’d known for decades.

But maybe in our call to step out to Iceland, Jesus was also saying yes to me.

Several years before this, my husband—who was immersed in inner-city work in Huntsville, Alabama—felt stirred in his heart for his home country. He was born and raised on the southern coast of Iceland, but after encountering Jesus in 2002, he remained in the US. When we married in 2010, I remember reassuring myself that I was safe from any major change because my Viking husband would never move back to Iceland. He was too involved in the community to do anything else. Right?! I was also working full-time as a pastor on a large church staff. I have since learned multiple times over that I should never assume and absolutely never say never.

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"I remember reassuring myself that I was safe from any major change because my Viking husband would never move back to Iceland... I have since learned multiple times over that I should never assume and absolutely never say never."

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As my husband felt a pull to go, I began to put up walls around my heart—brick by brick. I didn’t want to hear about this desire of his. And let’s face it, I didn’t know if we would be able to survive in one of the most expensive countries in the world.