In our world today, many times Christians are encouraged NOT to settle down. I hear it even more so in or about ministry. "As pastors, you are never settles. Never in one place for long. Always on the move." To some extent I totally agree. As Christians, not just pastors & family, we are to be willing to follow God's will even when that means a physical move. Location should always be determined by God's plan for your life at the time. How He wants to use you in a specific season of life. WHERE He sees fit for you to be for the most growth in you.
Sadly, when we finally started moving our essentials into our new home, my youngest daughter kept asking when we were going "home". My oldest daughter nervously ask if we could "never move again" because she was "tired of moving in circles". I felt their pain and confusion. Although I wanted to promise my littles that we had found our forever home, I couldn't. I did reassure them that this is our home & do not plan on but moving. BUT as a follower of Jesus Christ, I always had to keep my heart and ears open for if and when God was leading us somewhere else.
Every time the hubs and I move, we plan to stay. After our first move as a married couple, we were there 5 years. That may not sound like long but regretfully, for ministry families {especially youth pastors} that was eternal. We started our lives there together. We bought our first home there. We started our family there. But, God ask us to be willing to give up that comfort and head out to be apart of His grand plan somewhere else.
We've talked a lot about not wanting to move again. How our 5 and 3.5 year old have lived in 4 different houses. Our 2.5 year old has now lived in 3 different houses. Our prayer this time? Our prayer is that of Jeremiah's word from God for those carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
"Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." -Jeremiah 29:5-7
As I begin this Settled In September series, I want you to keep all this in mind. With conflicted hearts after "settling in" to our Big Blue house and moving after only 2 years, it brings joy and anxiety to settle down again. Fear of moving. Excitement over a forever home, neighborhood, community, friends, and a growing church family. This month, I want to show how my family is trying to settle as quickly as possible so we can get on to the seek the peace and prosperity {doing life with} of the city to which God has carried us!
All the posts in this series HERE
