Once Upon a Time...

There was a man named Abram who probably thought things were going pretty nicely right where he was. We do not know if God provided any forewarning of the coming upheaval in Abram's life such as an urge to see far lands, a dissatisfaction with the local attractions, or even a hint from his father. "Gettin' a might crowded around these parts, Abram. Thought you might like to see some new places before you hit 80 or so!" All we know is a bit of genealogy, and then 'boom' God tells Abram to get up and leave his country, family, and father's house, just like that. Not even a direction, just a vague statement about "A land that I will show you." An opportunity to trust in God for sure.

We like to know the destination before we leave. Seldom do we step out of our front door, get into the car, and just drive in a random direction until God says to stop. If someone says, "Come on, we're going on a journey." We immediately want to know the destination. Should I grab a jacket, rain gear, and a case of water, or do I need suitcases and a pet sitter? Are we talking the kind of journey such as I am taking now that involves U-Haul trucks and lots of packing help, or should I be talking professional moving companies? What kind of journey are we talking about here and where are we going? 'To a land that I will show you' is not a direction or a real destination, is it?

In this case, Abram packed up his wife and household and transplanted his life to the west. However, the promised land wasn't quite ready yet. It would be centuries before Israel became the mighty nation under King David and Solomon. Before that, the promised land was ready, but the Israelites were not. Like the ancient Israelites, we seem to be out of sync with our promised land too. We may have a home we would like to stay in, or a town that seems good for the time being, and friends that we don't want to leave, but, we also have a lot of things that don't seem quite right yet. No house or town can satisfy in this world. Friends come and go, and jobs may call us to another place. We want to settle down, but instead we find ourselves stuck in a rut, as the saying goes.

I rested yesterday, but today the final steps of the move get underway. God is with me every step of every day, but when I look at what remains to be done, it is still a fear-inducing prospect. The first load of 'stuff' is loaded on the truck and ready to roll. Life throws an upheaval my way. Will I get to settle down for a bit soon? All I know is that every house, apartment, trailer, tent, or pyramid is but a temporary quarters in this life. We go home when God calls us home and not before.

Bucky