A Season of Change

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

Change.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I do not like change.  I’m not completely resistant to it (well, might children might not agree with that statement), but I can honestly say that I do not embrace change. 

We recently sold our home and had less than a month to pack and move our belongings out of our current home.  My husband and I had been praying about this, and felt God’s peace as we packed our belongings.  However, trying to decide which items to keep and which items to let go of as we were considering to down size to a smaller home at this time was not an easy decision.  I confess…I’m sentimental and often want to hold on to items because of the precious memories that have taken place around those belongings.

Not only was I trying to make these decisions, but as I packed, I also had to consider where we would be living for the next several months.  Since we sold our home quickly, and were determined not to rush into anything, we decided we would rent temporarily.

However, finding a place to rent is not easy.  We knew we wanted to move north, and the apartment/townhouse that we were going to live in for the next year would not be built and ready for us to move into for several months.

After checking into several places, I found corporate housing that we could rent month-by-month as we wait for the new place to be built.  However, even that was not ready when we needed out of our house, so we stayed in a hotel for several nights.

So, my packing included marking boxes that would go into storage, boxes that would be moved into the place that was being built, and boxes that would be taken to the temporary apartment.  Even being extremely organized, I felt a little overwhelmed at times as I thought through the different moves we would be making in the next several months.

Currently, we are in a one-bedroom apartment, waiting for the two-bedroom apartment to open up at the end of the month.  We will move into that apartment until our new place is built and then make one more move.  Then we will be able to relax and spend time in prayer, seeking God for what HE has in store for us at this time in our lives.

As you can see, this is a lot of change…a lot of moves in a short time.  I wish I could say that I have been completely gracious through all of the changes and moves.  However, walking into the temporary apartment was extremely humbling.  Our previous home was large…clean…it was immaculate!  Not only do I not love change, but I am also extremely neat and organized (this is were my husband and children would say that I am obsessive), which is probably true.

So, walking into an apartment designed for corporate living was hard.  The furniture was not ours, the carpets were older, with a few stains peeping through, and the walls needed a fresh coat of paint.  I immediately begin to wonder about our decision.  What had we just done?

As my husband and I grabbed a bite to eat the night we moved into that one bedroom apartment, tears streamed down my cheeks as we sat down in a booth and waited on our food.  I knew I needed to pray and ask God to speak to my heart…to be thankful…and to remember this transition was temporary, but my selfish side did not want to live there.  I wanted to be in a newer home immediately. 

Even as I cried, I knew I needed to change my heart.  This was a prayer that we had lifted to the Lord for a long time and HE had been with us though the entire moving process.  I needed to repent and be thankful!

After being in our smaller apartment for two weeks, I still have moments of weakness when I want to shampoo the carpets…paint the walls and got get all of my furniture out of storage.  As God’s word says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  Ecclesiastes 3:1.  This is a time for me to be patient, not to look at the walls that surround me, but to look to my Heavenly Father.  These living arrangements are temporary.  I am blessed with a wonderful husband, amazing children, adorable grandchildren and the memories I have of them are stored in the treasure box I hold in my heart.  And I know God has so much for us…and many, many more memories to make…wherever that may be in the future. 

Dear Heavenly Father…forgive me for not trusting my future to you!  Forgive me for not be thankful for all that you have blessed me with.  Help me to remember that you are with me, wherever I may live and you will be leading and guiding me in the days ahead.  You are faithful.