A Very Difficult Move
Summer is a popular time to move. My son just moved back home from college, some friends of ours just moved into their sixth home in five years (God bless ‘em); even our church is moving to another part of town. I don’t know about you…but I really, really dislike moving.
I do not enjoy having to look at all of my old stuff and make decisions about what to pack up to keep and what to get rid of. And I certainly don’t look forward to all the repairs that are needed before we can leave the old habitat. If it was up to me, I would much rather just stay where I am. One thing is definite; moving is more often than not a giant PAIN!
My hubby and I recently had to say goodbye to some long-time neighbors of ours. They were moving away, not just from our neighborhood, but from each other. Married for over two decades, they decided to get a divorce after seeing their youngest child graduate from high school. I want to tell you up front that I do not know the reasons behind their decision–that is between them and God. But I do have to wonder how a couple with a good family and a nice home end up divorcing after so many years! What I do believe is this–divorce is the result of hearts that have grown hard. And hardened hearts no longer move towards one another—they move apart.
I wonder if my obvious dislike for moving explains why it’s sometimes difficult for me to move myself. I know that I need to be willing to move toward my spouse when he upsets or disappoints me, rather than moving away emotionally and/or physically. Do I really need to hold on to my “darn rightness” and my anger, or do I need to kick it to the curb with all my useless junk? And what about all the “baggage” from my previous moves–shouldn’t I lighten up my load? It sure would make moving in the right direction easier. What if I became more intentional in repairing the areas in my marriage that have suffered from hurt or neglect? The areas where I have moved away from my husband. Maybe moving towards him in order to repair could prevent having to make more costly repairs in the future.
All I know is this… I just watched an entire family make the most difficult move of their life. That’s a move I don’t ever want to make.
“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.”
John 15:4-5 The Message
