Moving. So many people do it. At one point, I lived 17 different places in 5 years, including in my car and on the streets. The best move I ever made was to move from Michigan to Missouri to marry the love of my life. My husband has basically move one time in his life, from California to Franklin County, Missouri. I've met many people (too many) in my lifetime who believe that God doesn't care about the little things, such as moving, only the big, life or death things. How foolish! How immature! How misunderstanding of God's design of the universe and the species and salvation! How shallow!
Here in the Midwest of America, we had an unusually harsh winter. It takes a lot to diminish the flea population, but this winter really put a dent in it. We also had a surge of international criminal activity in our neighborhood when cabin fever set in, so we decided that it's time to move. Actually, we prayed about what to do and God informed us that it's time to move on. This beautiful place where we live is no longer the place for us. It will be good for someone else. We've had temporary relief as the "bad guys" have changed up their activities so they no longer do it in our own back yard. Nevertheless, we need to obey God and go.
So it's been a journey for us. A very long, challenging, and at times exciting, and at times exhausting journey for us these past six months. At one point, I had a meltdown and realized I was doing God's will MY way. This realization changed everything! We all stopped, re-evaluated our methods and made the necessary changes to keep going. During this pause, I asked God if moving was even His will. When I looked to the Bible for my answers, knowing that it really does have ALL the answers if we look hard enough.
I read the story of Abraham and Sarah, Naomi and Ruth, Jacob and Esau, David and Saul, Mary and Joseph, Jesus and the disciples, the apostles, and on through the ages of history. Nearly everyone with a story worth mentioning MOVED! Their story wouldn't have happened if they hadn't MOVED. God's bigger plan would not have been accomplished and great nations of people would not have been established if no one MOVED. We didn't want to move, but we have to, and honestly, now we are very excited to see what great things the Lord has in store for us who obey and do things His way.
The story of Abram and Sarai convicted me. You see, God told Abram to leave his family and go to a land the Lord would show him. So Abram took his cousin Lot and his family. Eh hem. Did God not just tell him to leave his family? No, the reader did not misunderstand this directive. Abram really did disobey, and there were natural consequences attached to this choice.
Then there was the time when Abram, still doing God's will Abram's way, came upon a city and lied to the king saying his wife Sarai was really his sister. Well, that didn't turn out so swell either. The king nearly married Sarai before God had to send an angelic rescue.
And don't forget the time when God told Abram He would make a great nation from Abram's seed and his infertile geriatric wife. Again, Abram did God's will his own way. Abram sent for his servant Hagar and conceived a male child with her instead. Boy, did that not go over well!
Abram, Abram, Abram... how often he tried to do God's will Abram's way! In every one of Abram's situations, God proved that He really does care about the details. He really does care about the journey to the destination and not just the destination itself. It's not just the life and death matters that He cares about, it's the details that build relationship with HIM. All the living between the beginning and the end is the stuff that makes the person, the story, the history, the relationship between God and man. By changing our location, God can build new relationships between me and the people He wants to reach. He can add another chapter to my story, increase my faith, change history, and do the same in the lives of my children and grandchildren just by moving us out of this neighborhood and on to a new place to call home.
We wander here on earth. We long for a place to call home. We search for a place and try with all our might. Some people spend more than they have and sacrifice everything they own just to put down roots. Our roots are searching. Sprawling out in search of soil. We have a void to fill. You can fill it with just about anything, but only Heaven will satisfy. Everything else is temporary. Are you trying to do God's will YOUR way? It won't work. He wants you to move. Maybe not from your physical house, but maybe He's asking you to move from your stuck spot. Or maybe He's asking you to do something and you've confused your way with His. You think it should happen one way, but if you abandon your own way, it might surprise you how differently things will work out. Get in tune by tuning out all the other "noise" in your life. You'll be amazed at what you can hear when you get quiet and stop to listen.
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I'd like to let my readers know that I had a delay in publishing my next book. It is in editing now and can take several weeks or a few months before we go to the next phase. I assure you, it's well worth the wait!
Thanks for your patience!
~Lisa
