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Bob Moved My Cheese
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Bob Moved My Cheese
Have you read the book Who Moved My Cheese? It is a cute quick read about a family of mice looking for their cheese. Dr. Spencer Johnson created the story to help him deal with a difficult change in his life. It showed him how to take his changing situation seriously, but not to take himself so seriously. It is a lesson I thought I’d already learned so when I read the best selling book, it didn’t have much of an impact at the time. It turns out, I had no idea what having my cheese moved really meant.
In August, I was happily tooling down a Wyoming highway on a missionary journey when husband Bob called to say he had accepted a second interview with Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Arizona. “But Bob, I argued. “I didn’t think the job was what you were looking for.” Bob was graduating with a PhD in Robotics and we were both still hoping to stay in Jacksonville, Florida. Bob had been on several interviews across the country but so far, nothing thrilled him.
“Cheryle,” he said excitedly. “This is a different job. It is for the Business Innovation Center and I would be a Managing Director for Robotics and Software.” I felt my heart sink. I could hear it in his voice. The job was calling him.
“Do you think they will let you work from Jacksonville?”
“No,” he said quietly. “This is an executive position and they will need me in Phoenix. Can you meet me in Phoenix by the end of the week? We could check out the area.”
It had been weeks since I’d seen Bob. Normally, driving from Wyoming to Phoenix, Arizona over a several day period would have been a piece of cake (or should I say a piece of cheese?). After all, when I travel the country, I can head in any direction and am always delighted to meet family and friends anywhere. But not this time. “I’m heading to South Dakota,” I said stubbornly. “It’s too hot in Phoenix in August.”
“It’s up to you,” Bob said. I tried to ignore the disappointment I heard. “But you’d only have to drive about 4 hours a day so you could easily make it.”
I remained stubborn. “Why are you interviewing a second time when you know they won’t let you live in Jacksonville? You won’t move and I hate to see you waste their time and money.” The silence on the other end of the phone was frightening. Could he actually be thinking about this?
“I really think you should come to Phoenix,” he asked again.
“No, I don’t have time.” Anyone that knows what I do for a living knows how funny that is. I travel the country on God’s timetable and can go anywhere any time. Often the suggestions of others point the way.
I spent the next two days in South Dakota wrestling with God. Go to Phoenix and meet Bob, that quiet still voice whispered. Belle (my Sheltie) and I drove through my favorite state park, Custer, following buffalo and arguing with God.
You do realize why so many people don’t listen to your voice, I argued. You ask hard things. I can’t leave my grandbaby, children, and parents. They need me. What part of living a mile from my grandbaby do you not understand? Mama, Daddy, Aunt Ka Ka, and Uncle Bobby are getting older. How could I possibly leave them?
God listened to my whining but persistently said, Meet Bob in Phoenix. You may be wondering how I could be so sure I head His voice. I get up every morning of my life and pray for knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry it out. One of the problems with praying that prayer consistently is that God answers it.
What about my best friend Nancy? We get our hair done together every month. How can I do that from Phoenix?
Meet Bob in Phoenix.
The air-conditioner on Happy (my 1992 Camper Van) can’t keep up in Phoenix. It is 105 degrees there. What if Belle gets too hot in the camper?
Meet Bob in Phoenix.
It would break my heart to leave Jacksonville, I finally sobbed. I’m afraid if I go to Phoenix, Bob will like the job and I’ll have to move.
My grace is sufficient, was His only answer.
While I was arguing with God, buffaloes surrounded my car. I couldn’t go forward or backwards. Belle barked and ran from one end of the camper to the other and I prayed. Jonah sat in the belly of a whale and I sat surrounded by buffalo. I have no doubt that I’d still be sitting on that isolated road if I hadn’t agreed to drive to Phoenix.
When I finally surrendered, the buffaloes ambled off and Belle collapsed in exhaustion, wondering what took me so long. By this time, I had only 2 days to drive 19 hours. I made it to Phoenix, two hours before Bob’s flight arrived. When he got off the plane, I greeted him with the words, “I’m here, but I’m not moving to Phoenix.”
By now, you probably know the end of the story. Bob started to work in Phoenix on November 6th. The New Year welcomed our furniture to Phoenix. We sold our beautiful Sanctuary in Jacksonville to buy our new home, aptly named Oasis. Oasis is nestled in the colorful Sonoran Desert and has a small mountain right behind it (See pictures on the Photo Gallery.) Instead of sitting in my office watching dolphins frolic, I now watch coyotes prowling across the sandy terrain. My umbrella stand sits lonely by the front door. While you know the end of the story, it is possible you don’t know why we are here.
You might think we moved to Phoenix because of a job. After all, Bob, the most creative inventor I know, will get to play with the technologies of one of the largest and most innovative companies in the world. Possibly, you could assume the salary that went with the job was the attraction. This is an executive position with an executive paycheck. Could it have been the possibility of influence and/or power? Everyone has heard of Honeywell. Experts tell us that most decisions are based on money or power and yet none of those were the reason we moved.
Bob and I moved to Phoenix because God told us to. We carefully prayed about it. Bob’s life scripture is James 1:5-6, which promises us that if we pray for wisdom we’ll get it if we don’t doubt. Bob’s interpretation of this scripture is that is says to pray for wisdom and then don’t blink. We’ve both had money and power before and know these things are only tools to fulfill God’s call in our lives. Bob has always found a way to play with technology so, as exciting as Honeywell Technology was, we both knew that his creative needs could be met other ways. We couldn’t believe what we heard God saying but we both heard the whispered but firm command, Move to Phoenix. I couldn’t even be mad a Bob because God called me as well.
This move has broken our hearts. I’ve dreamed about hugging my grandbaby almost every day since I’ve left Jacksonville. Mama’s lonely tears and Daddy’s resigned support make me cry every time I think about it. Bob and I both cried as the moving van pulled away from Sanctuary. We had always felt blessed to live near our entire family and wondered how this could be happening to us. The excitement over the job, the exciting North Phoenix Baptist Church, and the beautiful desert has eased some of the pain but our souls still ache.
So why would we put ourselves through so much pain? We do it because of the knowledge that fulfilling God’s will for our lives is sweeter than even a hug from a Grandbaby or an elderly parent. If we thought our hearts were breaking now, nothing would compare with the broken heart of saying no to God.
So how are the broken hearted Touchtons? Bob loves his new job and we both love Oasis. At the last 2 homes we’ve owned, we’ve had a room named “The Beach.” We’re finally getting to the real beach. God has allowed us to purchase a vacation home right on Jacksonville Beach. I suspect much of my writing will be done at “The Beach.” I’ve already been asked to be on the Phoenix TNT Praise the Lord show and opportunities for ministry keep appearing (see the Schedule of Events on the Home Page.) We’ve joined North Phoenix Baptist Church and are making new friends. We call our new neighborhood, Leave it to Beaver’sneighborhood, (from a television show called Leave it to Beaver, where there were children in every house) and love watching the children riding their mountain bikes through the desert. I sit rocking on my front porch and talk to the children as they get off the school bus. Abraham Lincoln said that most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be. We have decided to be happy in Phoenix. We are homesick but at peace as we wait on our 4th house guest to arrive in under a week. We are blessed.
So did Bob really move my cheese? I am lactose intolerant so I can only eat dairy free cheese. Fortunately, most grocery stores carry a lactose free cheddar cheese that closely resembles the real thing and I’ve been able to wake up every morning to the pleasure of a “cheddar cheese” omelet. Upon arrival in Phoenix, I went to the grocery store in search of my cheese. Would you believe that I have not been able to find any store in Phoenix that caries my special cheese? I suspect I can’t blame Bob for moving my cheese. If you happen to see my cheese, would you please tell me where it is?
Matt 26:39-40
My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." NASU
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