Waiting to Move
Bubble wrap the dishes, clean out the drawers, it's time to move!! UGH... moving. All the boxes and dirt, clutter and organizing. Making sure nothing is left behind. Changing addresses and schools and Doctors. Cleaning every corner, even some you haven't been in since you moved in! Now add 4 kids to that chaos and you've entered a whole other dimension of craziness you wish never existed. Many people hear about moving and just the thought causes their blood pressure to rise. I, on the other hand, have grown accustom to the changes and get a bit of a thrill contemplating the newness of it all.
On average, an American moves roughly 11.7 times in their lifetime. (per a census taken in 2007) Personally I am up to 12 moves in my 38 years of life. Some as a kid (my opinion on the matter had no merit what-so-ever), some newly married (we must build the house, buy all the things, no matter the cost!), and some to follow the job journey my husband was on. My adult moves have always been confirmed and validated by God (which is a blessing) by either the home being exactly what we needed or just the process falling right into out laps.
In 2008, on a depressingly hot summer day in South Florida, my husband and I (with 2 small kids in tow) were unloading our moving truck into a new home to rent. I had noticed he was on the phone for a very long time and was worried he was going to have to leave me to go back to work - which would have been the point I took the kids and dog inside and accept the fact we would be sleeping on the floor that night. That's when he turned around, standing in the truck with boxes in hand and says excitedly, " We're moving to California!!" Wha- Wha--WHAT??? First I was filled with rage. How could he be saying this while we were working tirelessly just to get into THIS house. Second I began to panic realizing he was serious. We started talking it out. He was being given an amazing opportunity with his job. For him it was an adventure! More money, new sites, new people! All I could think was," California is SOOO scary!! What about our children? Will they be safe??" I only envisioned gangs, superstars, and hippies. I had been raised in the south and California was a foreign land to me. Not to mention, everyone we knew lived on this side of the earth! He assured me we only had to stay 2 years for his contract and filled my head with the excitement of a new adventure (which I'm always a sucker for- he knows me well). Over the next 4 months we flew out to find a home, took care of our current lease, and got all our goodbyes in order. Everything fell into place easier than we could have done on our own (a miracle story for another blog). My mind was at peace, just like every other time we had moved in fact. I knew God was in this move, and even though some family members were against it, we knew.... California was the place we oughta be, so we loaded up the truck and we drove out to Cali.....San Francisco that is.
My husband was right (it can happen sometimes). I LOVED CALIFORNIA! The people were so friendly, the views were spectacular, and our home was more than I could have ever hoped for. We found a powerful new church and a rousing group of friends that quickly became family. God showed us daily why He moved us there. Our marriage was going through a "rough patch" and these friends and that church helped us to build the solid foundation we needed to weather any storm. We wouldn't have had the strength if God hadn't sent us there. We even had 2 more babies in California...even after I declared I would NOT be giving birth in that strange land far away from home. We settled in, bought a house, laid roots, and stayed past our 2 year contract. We were Californians. Then God said, "Bubble wrap the dishes, clean out the drawers, it's time to move!" This was a tough one. My mom had beaten cancer once before and it was back. My parents lived in North Carolina and it was evident I absolutely wanted to be there. God did it again. The job fell from the sky, the house sold, the movers handled it all and we were gone within 2 months. Leaving my new California family was heartbreaking but again I had peace knowing this was the new path God had planned for us and our extended adventure in Cali had equipped us with the tools He knew we would need.
North Carolina is where I spent my childhood and I'm constantly grateful I get to raise our kids in this down-home part of the world, but it has brought us many unexpected changes and uncertainties. In the 5 years we've been here, my mom, the bedrock of my confidence, passed away from unexplained complications. Our local extended family dynamic has changed drastically. We struggled to connect in a church or create a core group of friends. Then my husband (our provider) was displaced from his job of 15 years with absolutely no explanation. (STOP this train, I'm ready to get off!!) Slowly our circumstances have turned around. I've learned to exist in a world that my mom no longer does. We've become exceedingly involved in our new church and community, and God is providing to keep us afloat financially.
SO.... though some struggle with the idea of knowing IF God wants them to move, I'm searching for WHY God wants me to stay. We've naturally tinkered with the idea endlessly. Moving is easy for us! (Things were so pleasant in California, lets go back there!) But.... that peace just isn't there this time. Each moment the hubs and I start to plan our escape, the gate is slammed and locked again in front of us. Why would God want us to stay when he has conditioned us to be excellent goers??!!
The words "wait on me" have been running through my head constantly for the past year. NO! That's not my strength!! I'm a mover and shaker, not a sit down and waiter! Still again He says "wait on me" SO I sit...During the year of the sitting I've come to see that God has been building many new strengths in me. The eyes to see the challenges and opportunities to be His light right where I am. Even my own home. The patience to wait on His timing...to which my dad, a seasoned pastor, says, "Gods timing is never late, but it is rarely early." ( as my 16 year old self rolls her eyes) Our path has always been easy to see. The ground laid, the road marked, and the details covered. Now we sit, with no clear direction. Which can make a mover like me very uneasy. I would undoubtedly love to know what lies ahead for our families journey...even just a mile up the road! However, that's not for me to understand right now. But you know what? (say, "what ") I'm genuinely enthusiastic to see what He has up His sleeve this time!
Isaiah 40:31 says, " But, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." SO maybe...just maybe, He is renewing my strength for the next adventure, and I will just have to learn to sit down and wait to move.
On average, an American moves roughly 11.7 times in their lifetime. (per a census taken in 2007) Personally I am up to 12 moves in my 38 years of life. Some as a kid (my opinion on the matter had no merit what-so-ever), some newly married (we must build the house, buy all the things, no matter the cost!), and some to follow the job journey my husband was on. My adult moves have always been confirmed and validated by God (which is a blessing) by either the home being exactly what we needed or just the process falling right into out laps.
In 2008, on a depressingly hot summer day in South Florida, my husband and I (with 2 small kids in tow) were unloading our moving truck into a new home to rent. I had noticed he was on the phone for a very long time and was worried he was going to have to leave me to go back to work - which would have been the point I took the kids and dog inside and accept the fact we would be sleeping on the floor that night. That's when he turned around, standing in the truck with boxes in hand and says excitedly, " We're moving to California!!" Wha- Wha--WHAT??? First I was filled with rage. How could he be saying this while we were working tirelessly just to get into THIS house. Second I began to panic realizing he was serious. We started talking it out. He was being given an amazing opportunity with his job. For him it was an adventure! More money, new sites, new people! All I could think was," California is SOOO scary!! What about our children? Will they be safe??" I only envisioned gangs, superstars, and hippies. I had been raised in the south and California was a foreign land to me. Not to mention, everyone we knew lived on this side of the earth! He assured me we only had to stay 2 years for his contract and filled my head with the excitement of a new adventure (which I'm always a sucker for- he knows me well). Over the next 4 months we flew out to find a home, took care of our current lease, and got all our goodbyes in order. Everything fell into place easier than we could have done on our own (a miracle story for another blog). My mind was at peace, just like every other time we had moved in fact. I knew God was in this move, and even though some family members were against it, we knew.... California was the place we oughta be, so we loaded up the truck and we drove out to Cali.....San Francisco that is.
My husband was right (it can happen sometimes). I LOVED CALIFORNIA! The people were so friendly, the views were spectacular, and our home was more than I could have ever hoped for. We found a powerful new church and a rousing group of friends that quickly became family. God showed us daily why He moved us there. Our marriage was going through a "rough patch" and these friends and that church helped us to build the solid foundation we needed to weather any storm. We wouldn't have had the strength if God hadn't sent us there. We even had 2 more babies in California...even after I declared I would NOT be giving birth in that strange land far away from home. We settled in, bought a house, laid roots, and stayed past our 2 year contract. We were Californians. Then God said, "Bubble wrap the dishes, clean out the drawers, it's time to move!" This was a tough one. My mom had beaten cancer once before and it was back. My parents lived in North Carolina and it was evident I absolutely wanted to be there. God did it again. The job fell from the sky, the house sold, the movers handled it all and we were gone within 2 months. Leaving my new California family was heartbreaking but again I had peace knowing this was the new path God had planned for us and our extended adventure in Cali had equipped us with the tools He knew we would need.
North Carolina is where I spent my childhood and I'm constantly grateful I get to raise our kids in this down-home part of the world, but it has brought us many unexpected changes and uncertainties. In the 5 years we've been here, my mom, the bedrock of my confidence, passed away from unexplained complications. Our local extended family dynamic has changed drastically. We struggled to connect in a church or create a core group of friends. Then my husband (our provider) was displaced from his job of 15 years with absolutely no explanation. (STOP this train, I'm ready to get off!!) Slowly our circumstances have turned around. I've learned to exist in a world that my mom no longer does. We've become exceedingly involved in our new church and community, and God is providing to keep us afloat financially.
SO.... though some struggle with the idea of knowing IF God wants them to move, I'm searching for WHY God wants me to stay. We've naturally tinkered with the idea endlessly. Moving is easy for us! (Things were so pleasant in California, lets go back there!) But.... that peace just isn't there this time. Each moment the hubs and I start to plan our escape, the gate is slammed and locked again in front of us. Why would God want us to stay when he has conditioned us to be excellent goers??!!
The words "wait on me" have been running through my head constantly for the past year. NO! That's not my strength!! I'm a mover and shaker, not a sit down and waiter! Still again He says "wait on me" SO I sit...During the year of the sitting I've come to see that God has been building many new strengths in me. The eyes to see the challenges and opportunities to be His light right where I am. Even my own home. The patience to wait on His timing...to which my dad, a seasoned pastor, says, "Gods timing is never late, but it is rarely early." ( as my 16 year old self rolls her eyes) Our path has always been easy to see. The ground laid, the road marked, and the details covered. Now we sit, with no clear direction. Which can make a mover like me very uneasy. I would undoubtedly love to know what lies ahead for our families journey...even just a mile up the road! However, that's not for me to understand right now. But you know what? (say, "what ") I'm genuinely enthusiastic to see what He has up His sleeve this time!
Isaiah 40:31 says, " But, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." SO maybe...just maybe, He is renewing my strength for the next adventure, and I will just have to learn to sit down and wait to move.
Comments
We clearly need to catch up.
His timing is always perfect and with purpose. Miss you much