Hiccups, Help & Hope

The 26+ hours of traveling are looking more welcome each day.  Moments to just sit and think (or rest) are getting more rare.  It is the final days of packing up the house.  Once we finished a showing yesterday, we knew we had to pack up aggressively (tomorrow is moving day).  When we found out the house was officially rented--an answer to prayer and a clear reminder God is in control--rooms began to be turned upside-down in prepping for Rwanda.  

As I surveyed the chaos yesterday and sought out a quiet spot to just rest for a moment, I was taken aback when I couldn't find one room undisturbed.  In a way, it was a picture of how my life seems to be.  In the process of surrender, it feels as though nearly every area of my heart has been shaken, rummaged through, sorted and decluttered.  It's been uncomfortable, challenging, but, in a strange sense, comforting.  Fears and insecurities are being brought to light and unloaded.  The thought patterns, habits and way of life I once held so dearly are being shaken and broken so that the new can be carved out.  What's reassuring is that this stage of transition won't last forever.  In our house, the boxes will soon be packed and moved and the luggage for Rwanda will be soon unpacked.  We will settle in and adjust to the new routine.  The state of transition will be over and we will be able to forward in this grand adventure God has laid before us.  

So what are the lessons of this transition we've learned so far?

1. There will be hiccups along the way.  Every time we've moved, there's been something that's come up as an obstacle.  Instead of giving up, God showed us the way through.  

2.  Don't try to do it on your own.  

I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! (Psalms 121:1, 2 NLT)

God will be our strength and our Source, all we need to do is trust Him!

3.  If friends offer to help, take it!  There's nothing more humbling than having your friends step in to help when you feel so weak and tired.  It's been hard to accept help, but honestly, we've needed it.  This journey has been draining--physically, emotionally and spiritually, but as we allow friends to step in and help, they become part of the journey.  As believers, we are not meant to walk solo, but to be a team, working together.  We have really appreciated those who've come along-side to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

4. Be honest.  I've tried to rein in my emotions in order to be strong for my family, but the reality is I am feeling the grief of saying goodbye and the sobering reality of surrender just like everyone else.  Yes, we are excited about the move, but at the same time, it's HARD to pack up, say goodbye and leave everything familiar. 

5.  God truly can be trusted.  God knows our hopes and dreams.  He knows what we need and He will provide.  When God calls us to do something, He also makes a way.  Don't try to figure out how He's going to do it, just know He will.