The house is almost empty. Each space echoes our movements during the last hours of packing. Odds and ends need to find a cranny to fit in, while dust bunnies are swept away and long lost treasures are discovered under the beds.
My heart is filled with thankfulness. I cannot imagine how to do this without help! Our church family has carried us through these crazy last days of our time here. I truly thought our time here would be longer. But the One who knows best has called us on.
Moving is a crock pot full of emotions for me.
There is a cup of sadness and regret as we leave relationships, plans, and dreams before they’ve realized what we thought they would. A dash of frustration and anxiety floats around as I attempt to manage all the details of moving a family of five 800 miles away.
But mostly, my heart is filled with a bubbling excitement for all that is to come. There is hope for greater things for our ministry and family. The peace of an all-knowing God is infused through it all; a strong confidence that He has good plans for us.
As I label way-to-many “miscellaneous” boxes in the last hours of packing, I whisper prayers of thanks. Gratitude for our short time here, for all the Lord has done to grow our family, for all the lessons learned; even thankfulness for the really, really difficult times which have brought forth more fruit than I could ever imagine!
God is good. His plans are good. His will is safe, and when He calls we are to follow.
It’s in these truths we step out in faith, squeeze all we own into a big white truck, uproot our family yet again, and engage a new community for His glory.
Have you moved from one congregation to another? How was the transition for you? What promises of God did you cling to through the upheaval?
Published January 1, 2012
