I had just striped a drive down the middle of the fairway coming off a double bogey on the previous hole. It was a great turning-of-the-page swing. I went to grab my bag and follow the rest of the foursome I was playing with and began our walk. I found myself about 30 feet behind three of my closest friends and couldn’t help but smile. 

Do you ever have moments in your life where you intentionally take a second to pause and snap a quick mental picture, knowing you’ll want to revisit it at some other time down the road? Well, this was one of those times for me.

When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to play baseball in college. I also knew I did not want to transfer halfway through my playing career, so going to a junior college wasn’t an option for me. Without doing much due diligence, I went to the first school that gave me an offer – Azusa Pacific. I figured this was a great fit for me – it has a respectable baseball program, they’re a Christian school, and I’d be semi-close to home. I’d also be checking that big box of going to a four-year school.

Long story short, my playing experience at APU was not one that I wanted to continue with after my freshman year. I found myself in a tough situation where I knew two things: I did not want to keep playing at APU and I also did not want to stop playing baseball. That left me with only one option – transfer schools.

This was the one thing I told myself I did not want to do and yet August of 2013 I began my sophomore year at Westmont College. It was not any easy experience needing to essentially go through the freshman experience two years in a row. Luckily, I had a few friends from high school on campus, but I had to totally start over when it came to friend groups and routines and everything that comes with getting acquainted with a new school.

I found myself confused and slightly annoyed that this was my experience. Why, God, could things have not worked out the way I asked? It didn’t seem to be a big ask, I just wanted the same home for those four critical college years. But there I was, back in Santa Barbara County, starting over.

I now have the benefit of time passing between today and when this experience first played out and the amount of Providence that was present in that season without me knowing is uncanny. The Bible is riddled with calls to trust the Lord and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3). The verse that stood out the most to me was Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

I was making decisions along the way, and the Lord was also working in ways I couldn’t see just yet. The first close friend I made at Westmont was the one who challenged me to sign up for Youth With A Mission (YWAM) right after I graduated. Going to do that six-month school in 2017 was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. That wouldn’t have happened without transferring. 

Come with me back to that walk on the fairway. These three dudes in front of me were my teammates for three years, we all lived in the same house towards the end of college, and I had the privilege to be chosen to stand with each of them on their wedding day. These aren’t just acquaintances, they’ve become my brothers, and they’re guys I never would have met had I stuck with my plan.

I don’t know where you may find yourself in this journey, friend. Because I also need to acknowledge that living in the middle of a chapter, so to speak, can be confusing and frustrating and draining. I want to encourage you to trust in the words of Moses found in Deuteronomy 31:8, “The Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” God is working even and especially when we can’t see it. Continue to seek Him. Continue to obey Him and live for Him. Then give it some time, you just might find yourself walking down a fairway with brothers you never knew you’d have.