boxes and tape
Moving...boxes...tape...trash...junk...memories...stuff...I have done quite a bit of moving and packing in my life. As a child we changed houses every year. Sometimes more than once. My parents shifted jobs which led to shifting houses, towns, and people. As an adult I have carried on the same trend. I have carried my stuff and my life around in suitcases and boxes. The last few months have been full of packing up life and moving. I pilfered through all I have owned in NJ and had to decide what to keep and what to trash and what is important. A few weeks later I found myself doing the same thing in TN and in a few months I will do it again in AL. Even for me this seems excessive.
For the next 4 months I am not even going to have a real place to plant my "stuff". God is once again calling me to a season of transit life. What does it look like to truly not have a place to call 'home'? Now I am not going to be homeless or without a place to sleep so it isn't pity I seek. It is the awareness that God has told us not to call this world our home. And for the next few months it is really going to be true for me. How will I handle this season? Moving, packing, and waiting...
As a believer I am waiting for Christ return. I should be moving myself closer to his calling, packing my life with truth and waiting for His return eagerly. I need to not make this world my home. I have to throw away the stuff that doesn't matter. Maybe I just need the reminder to travel light because this earth it isn't my home. so I truly don't need much....
family
I have several groups in my life I refer to as my family. I have my actual blood related family, my France family, my camp families, my new jersey family, and one day soon i will have an in-law family. The interesting part is the blood related 'real' family in no shape form or fashion looks like my other families.
A week ago today, i said goodbye alot. Saying bye to my 3 nanny kiddos is one thing I am not ready to deal with yet...maybe later or maybe not. I also said good bye to my New Jersey church family. At one point during my goodbye dinner I sat back and looked at this family. The group included males and females, marrieds, singles, engaged (me!), whites, puerto ricans, indians, equadorians and chinese via marriage! Different hair colors, ages, weights and heights...accountants, teachers, students, office people, business owners, moms, and unemployed (me!). The only thing we truly have in common was a small church plant in East Brunswick, NJ, a place I didn't know existed 2 years ago. I didn't know God was preparing a family that would love me, push me, listen to me and challenge me.
Now the question...why would I call this a family? Family usually implies blood relation or marriage connection. This doesn't exist in this group. But God's heavenly family will look a lot like my dinner last week. All ages, all races, all genders, and all walks of life will sit together and eat. We laughed a lot. We cried a little (ummmm Rachel Shah). We enjoyed each other like a family should. However here on this earth we rarely do this with our families blood or otherwise...at least I don't. I am grateful for last week and the glimpse God gave me of His heavenly home. It will truly be amazing and it made the sad part a little easier.
Now what is the challenge. What do I do with this glimpse? Lord I pray the family I will one day have with my future husband will reflect the family that is a part of your kingdom...not of the world's.
