Needless to say, the move into this house has brought many changes.
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| our Landisville home is ready to move... |
I've never been one to resist change. I often invite change, however this move into a new living space has thrown me a bit off balance. I've been pondering unexpected feelings of being overwhelmed, discouragement and a general lack of initiative.
On my way to work yesterday I was talking to the Lord about all this. He immediately brought the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel to mind. If you've read my other posts and the page on this blog containing a diary of "our work", you know that this journey has been marked by the hand of God. Last weekend was a kind of altar, a celebration of the miracles He has done for us as we were granted occupancy. My heart was bursting with praise and gratitude.
However, in such a short time, I began to feel discouraged and perhaps even sad. Don't misunderstand...I am happy in this new home, thankful and confident we are in the right place. But this swing of emotions has been puzzling. So I remembered Elijah. God demonstrated His power to all the prophets of Baal by consuming the Elijah's sacrifice and the altar itself with fire from heaven. In the showdown between the pagan gods and the One True God, victory was won by Elijah's God. Elijah acted in obedience and faith. God proved himself faithful and powerful.
But in spite of this great victory and display of God's power, Elijah became afraid, weary and goes into hiding in a cave. This has always been puzzling to me. Why, after such a miraculous victory, would this man be afraid and hide?..... And why, after so much faith and hope; after seeing God provide time and time again, would I feel so empty and unmotivated?
As I shared this with a friend, she encouraged me. The story of Elijah continues...an angel sent from the Lord told Elijah to "get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So this I will do. It is time to "feed" myself now. It is time to strengthen myself with God's presence. I will listen for His gentle whisper so that I can continue to walk in obedience.
CHANGES...take a look at the changes we are living with.
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We are still living out of boxes; closets don't have shelves yet, paint is not on the walls, some floors need to be finished yet...but all is well.
it is great to see it becoming a home :) you guys have infested so much energy to get to the goal (of occupancy) that it makes total sense to have a let down. you've been running so fast that it is hard to slow down and yet your bodies need it. very hard to slow down when you see chaos around you. yet you have the vision of what it will become and the perseverance to see it become reality.
ReplyDelete...if you want to be encouraged, come see some areas of our home that are reeling from remodeling--and we've been in the place for 4 yrs. :)
Great job Keith, Brenda, and everyone else! I love it!!! I agree with Tim, you can probably let yourselves slow down a little bit... :)
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