His Face, Not His Hand
I’ve been in Nashville for a little over two weeks now, and here is what I’ve noticed so far and some initial thoughts…
Live music is always playing.
People are so generous.
The Nashville Fellows program runs deep. One day after arriving in Nashville, close to 75 people were already ready to welcome me and the other Fellows and help in whatever way they could.
Hattie B’s may be the new Lord’s chicken. Sorry, Chick-fil-A.
Nashville traffic is no joke. And that’s coming from a girl born and raised braving Atlanta traffic.
I don’t like discomfort. At all. But the Lord is teaching me how to lean more and more on Him in it.
Nashville is a special place. I can already tell, even after a mere two weeks here. But it’s different. I’m not in Georgia anymore. A place that I’ve had the pleasure of calling home for the entirety of my 22 years of life. I’ve traded smaller two-lane highways for four-lane interstates, cow pastures for mountains, and red for orange (just kidding, I’ll always be repping the red and black no matter where I am). All that to be said, though, it’s been an adjustment.
I came into the program with open hands. My whole last year at UGA was spent pleading with the Lord to give me an answer to what He wanted me to do with my life. I was chasing after my “calling” and was frustrated when He wasn’t just handing me the answer in bold print. I wanted a clear-cut answer and did not want to experience the discomfort of not knowing. I wish I could say He eventually gave it to me, and that’s how I ended up here, in the Music City. It’s not. We wrestled a lot last year. There was no black-and-white answer, but there was something much better: His face. I have a good friend who constantly repeats the phrase, “Seek His face, not His hand.” Time and time again, I wanted the Lord to give me circumstantial provision, a clear path with no struggle. But in the struggle and through many “quarter-life crises” last year, I learned more about His character and heart for me.
As much as I want to say I have the utmost confidence in why the Lord has placed me in Nashville and what He has in store for my time here, I don’t. My drive here from my home in Georgia was filled with a lot of fear. Coming to a new city with all new people is far from comfortable for me. But on that car ride, I remembered a verse that the Lord had impressed on my heart this past summer. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). My fear didn’t just go away at that moment. Rather, I was reminded that the same God who raised Christ from the dead is the same One who was with me as I crossed state lines, who is with me now as I start leading high school girls at St. George’s and began my first adult job at Nashville Anti-Trafficking Coalition.
As the Lord continues to meet me in my fears and remind me of the power He’s given me, I’ve been able to see Him more clearly throughout my first couple weeks here. I can see Him in each of the other Fellows and the unique giftings and personalities He’s given all of us. I can see Him in the generosity of my host parents, Bill and Ursula Pomy, as they so kindly have welcomed me and another Fellow, Abby, into their home. Not to mention the KILLER meals they’ve cooked. I can see Him in the kindness of John, Sally, & past fellows who have quickly welcomed us and made this place feel much more homey. I can see Him in the sheer joy my coworkers have, even amid such emotionally heavy work. And I can see Him in the fall flavors finally being back at Starbucks (I’ll say it, I’m a sucker for a Pumpkin Spice Latte).
This Fellows year is just beginning. I may not know what the Lord’s up to yet, but I know He’s up to something. I’m just excited to get to be a part of what He’s doing over here in Nashville. And to get to do it among a solid community. Here’s to seeking His face, not His hand.
Sarah Beth Juneau, Class 12
Hometown: Cumming, GA
Graduate of the University of Georgia
