the big move (total life update)

I remember when I was a little girl I always wanted to move. not because I wanted to leave my friends, but the idea of change and getting a new room and starting fresh was all too exciting for me. an adventure of sorts.

how ironic.

when I got the news a couple months ago that my dad had received a call to be the pastor at another church and that a move was in sight, my stomach dropped. no way was I leaving folsom. my friends. my home. it certainly did not feel like an adventure like I had once hoped. being at Calvin, I wouldn’t really be in folsom or at home anyway- I selfishly just didn’t want to come back from Michigan to any other place other than this.

but you see, this move actually makes sense to me. it took a little while for God to alter my eyesight to see his plans. as my human view- shattered and distorted- thought of the people and the spaces I would leave behind, HIS view showed a new community that was welcoming my family with open arms.

during the planning process, my dad mentioned something that really stuck with me. he said that this move doesn’t make any sense in terms of earthy things, but in terms of eternity and the bigger picture, it makes perfect sense. why in the world would we leave behind our church and house to live somewhere else? what purpose is there in that move when we are doing just fine here? but through God’s call to each of us, this fits into the plan of the greater good. the fact that we can clearly see the good and the purpose in this move reveals the bigger picture. even though there are a lot of things we are pulling away from, we are walking toward the kingdom because this was God’s plan all along. this move points to a bigger plan- an eternity kind of plan.

so I guess that while heartbreak and frustration still reside in my chest, there is a sense of peace about this change because I know there is a far greater purpose than my desire to stay in my childhood home. who is to argue with God’s will, especially when you have such a strong nudge as this? my new perspective is nothing other than God’s grace to help me through this big move, even if it is only an hour and a half away.

all of this is not to say that it will be easy. I won’t even get to say goodbye to our empty house (maybe that will actually make it easier). the move means I have to take each little, individual glow-in-the-dark star on my ceiling that have been up there forever. and I’m saying goodbye to the house that welcomed me home from the hospital when I was born.

but maybe this will be an adventure of sorts. I’ve already had to move to Michigan and now it is time for another move. I’m getting a new room and some more change. we’ll see if the excitement comes with it just as I imagined in my head at the age of seven.