More From Mark Weinrich

Proverbs 21:30 gives me great comfort.  It assures me that even amidst the heartaches, struggles, and perceived failures of life, God’s plan cannot be defeated.  Solomon wrote: There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

In the past six months, this verse has been my anchor.  I had plans to retire and move closer to family in about three years.  But chronic health issues forced me to resign from my church.  After almost forty years as a pastor, it seemed my life was adrift.  What would my wife and I do? 

We put our house up for sale and had a good offer in five days.  That same week, a large house in a wonderful location in Texas came back on the market at $5000 less than the original price.  We made an offer and purchased our new home outright.  On top of that the new house is less than an hour from our daughter’s family and our two grandsons, and it’s five and a half hours from our son’s family and his two boys.  Now instead of driving nineteen and fifteen hours to see four grandsons, we have relatively easy drives.

Of course the move has not been without its challenges. There were times when the ravens of worry kept me up at night, but I have clung to Proverbs 21:30.  Now I have the pleasure and delight of watching my young grandsons grow, and trusting that I will be an influence in their lives for the Lord.

God has also been slowly restoring my health, and I know that God has a plan far better than mine.  I hope in the future to return to active ministry in some way.