Post Move

Well we are finally settled in. We've been in the new house for almost two weeks. It took all of last week to finish packing, move, unpack, and put the house back together. I know that a lot of people find it hard to believe, but it really does not take me long to put a house together. This time, it took 5 days, but if I had it my way I would have taken another day from work and had it done in 3. Not to bad for having 7 years and 5 people's worth of "stuff". We did get rid of a lot, but there is still so much stuff! How on earth do we collected so much stuff?

I have two schools of thought on this. First, we are afraid to get rid of junk. I'm not sure why it's so hard to throw away things that are broken, harmful, hurtful, and overall not important in our lives. We not only do this with earthly possessions, but we do this in our spiritual life too. We tend to hold on to the very things that are hurtful, painful, shameful, and overall just not good for us.

2 Corinthians 5: 17-18 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation"

We need to learn to let go of the old, and prepare for the new, and who doesn't want something new? It's kind of like what I tell my kids, you have to make room for the new, so it's time to get rid of the old. If there is something in the past that you are just carrying around, because you're afraid to let go of it...well...it's time to just get rid of it!

My second thought on this, we put the "stuff" in a pile and say to ourselves that we'll get to it later. My friends, later never seems to come, and then the next thing you know, you are looking at a mountain of JUNK instead of a few items to get rid of. Sin can be like that too. We make a mistake, miss the mark, sin against God, and we say to ourselves that it's not a big deal, or we'll "work on it later". Later will not come. Let's take care of the junk when it first comes into the home.

Pslam 32: 4-6 says it like this, "For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the        iniquity of my sin. Selah

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him."

So we are now in a new house and it's a new school year. The kids begin school this Thurday. I'm so excited about the new school that two of my kids are going to this year! We have the new middle school (Jr. High when I was a girl) complete, and we had open house last night! I'm loving this school. My son, T, will begin 6th grade there, so he's the "1st Class" of the new school that will go 6th - 8th, and my daughter will be the "1st Class" to graduate from the new school. It's a year of New Beginnings! I love how new beginnings make you feel! If you look, you will find there is something new every day. You may have to dig for the good, but it's worth it. You may even have to move to a new home to see the new and the good, but it is worth it!

Lamentations 3: 22-24 tells us that, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

 So as my family and I look ahead to this new chapter in our lives, I am reminded once again that the author of this story already knows how it ends, and I have to have faith in all that He is doing. I'm not going to say that it's been easy, but I take comfort in knowing that I am not the only one who has gone through this kind of struggle, and I hope that I will be able to help someone else in the future.

Acts 3: 14-16,  "But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all."

~Peace & Blessings~
Jen