If there is one thing I know for sure, moving is
difficult. 10 moves across seven states in
20 years, I should be an expert. It is a constant adjustment for our family and
our children have been required to start in new schools and make new friends,
time and time again. Yes, it’s a crazy
life, and sometimes, I tire of the constant change and sometimes, I relish in
starting anew.
If there is one thing I know for sure, our moves are full of
complications. The pieces of a move
rarely just fall into place, sometimes houses won’t sale quickly, sometimes we become
unintentional landlords, sometimes the first and perfect house we try to buy doesn’t
work out. Often we reach about Plan Z (or we simply quit counting) because it
is a constant effort to figure out all the details and strategically, we must
find a way over the hurdles. Our destinations
change – instead of moving to Flower Mound, Texas we moved to Southern
Cal. Instead of moving to Medford, New
Jersey, we found a different job in Minnesota. Instead of rolling to a stop in
Minnesota and living in our dream house we built, we now say, “Umm, that was
just a “rolling stop.” There are times we have struggled to fit in to our new
surroundings, but usually we hate to say good-bye because we have developed such
good friendships. There always seems to be little problems that arise, that
though they are minor, the magnitude is increased simply because these problems
are added on to an already full plate.
If there is one thing I know for sure, even with all the
challenges brought on by moving, God is in the details of each of the moves. He
goes before me, (because eventually things fall into place, and we figure out
the plan, and it seems as if God knew all along what would happen). Sometimes, it turns out better than we had
expected. As someone told us, “God is
rarely early, but never late!” God knew I love peace and solitude and that’s
what I want in a backyard. Good size
backyards are difficult to find in the city we just moved to, but we found a last-minute
rental (since our house was still for sale and we needed to move before the new
school year) with a great backyard with trees, a local walking trail behind our
backyard and lots of open space to look upon.
If there is one thing I know for sure, God has walked beside
me through our trials. There were days when things would
get too difficult and I didn’t know if I could handle it, because over this
last year, we have literally bounced from one challenge to the next, at times
with little chance to catch our breath. When
I would pray for help because it was too hard, God wouldn’t take the challenge
away, but I would be blessed with a sweet tender mercy that would carry me
onward.
If there is one thing I know for sure, it has been because I
question “God, do you hear my cry?” or
“God, I don’t know the next step to take?” or “God, please help me.”, that I
have learned to trust and believe. I am
better off seeking God than going at my life alone. That doesn’t mean it is
always simple to believe. I have had
challenges that have taken my breath away and kicked my feet out from under
me. I have questioned God as to the “why”
of the challenges. But the questions become a desire to find God and find
answers. The process of falling down and finding a way to rise becomes an
incredible experience because it’s through that painful journey that I find peace,
hope, and the ability to stand back up.
If there is one thing I know for sure, though moving has not
been easy, and our family has had struggles because of moving, I would not
change my life because I have come to know that God is mindful of me and my
family. He has been there in my time of need. How grateful I am to know that
when I seek God, I find Him!
