On the Move Again

We are all to be moving toward the goal of the Kingdom of God. Do we feel alone at times? We can if we lose sight of God and what is really important.

A lump came into my throat and tears came to my eyes as I thought of moving yet again. It made me feel very uncomfortable knowing I would have to leave a lifestyle that I loved and was coming to an end with each passing day. I remember my last horseback rides on my horses, my last time to haul and stack the hay I grew on my land, even my last time to Linton’s Big R to get last-minute fencing materials. With the views of the snowcapped mountains and aqua lake in my mind, I drove away from the Whispering Sage Ranch for the last time.

I grew up in the rural regions of the United States, moving from school to school while my parents were in search of work. While in high school in Nebraska, I said, “Never again! I’m sick and tired of moving!” Two days after graduating from high school, I moved to Big Sandy, Texas, to go to Ambassador College but was not accepted. Well, so much for no more moving. I have moved at least twice more and have at least two or three more moves ahead of me.

I’ve had to accept that moving is a part of life, as uncomfortable and (sometimes) painful as it might be. And this time I was also sure it was what God wanted us to do because of how things had worked out in such a short time. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to move to Texas and attend Foundation Institute because we saw so many doors open to make it possible.

Still, loading my horses onto the buyer’s trailer was painful. According to www.healthstatus.com, moving is the third most stressful thing a human can experience. (The first is the death of a loved one, and the second is divorce.)

A biblical move

Let’s look at a biblical example of moving—of obeying God and making the changes that He wants. Abram was 75 when God told him to leave his home in Haran and go to the land of Canaan.

How would you like to move at the age of 75? I think many people would have said, “There has to be another way; I am very uncomfortable with this move.” Maybe in the beginning stages of the move Abram also had tears in his eyes at the thought of leaving his home.

But God said, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

The unknown

Have you ever noticed that verse 4 does not say, “Umm, well I just planted a new vineyard that will need care and soon the harvest will be ripe, and I have to build some bigger barns”?

No, you do not hear any excuses. Instead Abram responded to this direct instruction from God and stepped out on faith and obeyed. “So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him. … And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan” (Genesis 12:4-5).

You think moving to another state and starting a new school or new job would be uncomfortable? How about moving a group of people over 600 miles away on foot with a bunch of spitting camels, stubborn donkeys and maybe some old oxcarts for the elderly and little ones? How do you feed and water all these people and animals? What about the weather? Have you ever been in a sand storm? I only moved 1,250 miles in mostly air-conditioned vehicles with two people and a dog.

But we can overcome the fear of the unknown through faith in God. If we obey Him, He can and will provide for us—even through uncomfortable situations. God knows what’s best for us because He knows what is best to prepare us for His Kingdom. 

Whatever steps, changes, adjustments God asks of us, we must do. This applies to our most important move in life—moving away from sin and forward to the Kingdom of God.

When it comes to that journey, we should always be moving!

To learn more, read “The Faith of Abraham.”