Moving in Him

This marks a busy season for my family.  We are moving to a new state next month - a week before Christmas!  Most people look at us like we are completely nuts!  Moving in December??!!  And it does seem a little crazy.  Maybe a lot crazy.  Nevertheless, we are trucking our household across the state line to start life in a brand new place.

We are filled with anticipation, yet at times experience moments of doubt, fear, and sadness.  It's hard to leave our community of 15+ years.  It's not so much the actual packing up that's hard, but what we leave in the rearview mirror.  It's our friends, our church, our school - our people.  This is where I found Jesus and grew up in the Lord.  It's the physical place we found so much spiritual and relational healing.  Words cannot convey how much our church body has meant to us.  It feels like we are leaving the nest, which is not altogether comfortable.   

Still, we know this is what the Lord wants us to do.  Comfortable or not, we are being obedient to Him.  I am so grateful for the voices of friends and family that remind us God is with us, He has good things in store for us, and will provide for our every need.  I'm thankful that the Spirit is also reminding me that we are moving in Him.

That feels right - moving in Him.  All of this is so much bigger than we can see.  We are having to exercise our faith and adjust our eyes to try to see through His.  It hasn't been easy, but at the same time it's easy.  Sounds ridiculous, right?  But have you ever known that you were doing the right thing and felt such comfort in that - yet at the same time, felt it was still the hardest thing to do?  

When I was reading yesterday about the arrival of the Savior on Christmas, I realized how many times God moved Mary and Joseph from place to place in preparation and protection of the Babe they carried.  They traveled from home to Bethlehem, on to Jerusalem, back to Bethlehem, off to Egypt, Judea and finally home to Nazareth.  I'm sure that wasn't comfortable.  I'm sure it was a little frightening at times, considering all the circumstances.  Yet they moved with God each time He asked, and the Lord was with them.  He directed their steps and gave purpose to each one.  

We are all learning to trust God at a deeper level.  The beauty of the journey is knowing that we are moving in Him.  That is where I find my peace.  That is where I find my joy.

Vessels of Good News

I LOVE Christmas!  I love the smells, the sights, the sounds and the Reason behind this season of festivities.  I love the wonder of it all.  I love getting the tree and listening to Christmas songs.  I love wrapping gifts with my husband on Christmas Eve and sneaking them under the tree, hoping the kids aren't awake and peaking over the balcony.

These days as we anticipate the arrival of the Christmas season, we are inundated with messages of "hustle and bustle" from the culture around us.  Already the commercials and advertisements for the latest and greatest "favorites" and "wants" assault our eyes and ears.  It's hard not to get caught up in it all…even the silent competitions of who can pick out the better gift, make the best cookie, decorate the prettiest tree, or create the cutest family photo card…  Sometimes, we can find our peace and joy dwindling away and being exchanged for stress!  There's a lot of pressure - on moms especially - to get it all just right.

And so I sit this morning and think about how I will fit it all in this year in the midst of moving our family to a new state.  And the reality is - I won't.  It's that simple.  And that's okay.

I am drawn to consider, instead, the privilege of sharing Jesus.

"Jesus You're the sign, Jesus You're the wonder, You're the miracle - there is no other!" 

-- Harvest Bashta 

We are now His vessels to spread the Good News the angels sang about in Luke 2.

Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest [heaven], And on earth peace among men with whom He is well-pleased.” When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us"...  So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger.  And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child, and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them.  Luke 2:13-18 AMP

The Shepherds' response to this angelic message was to go straight to Bethlehem to see what they had heard about.  A Savior born.  And once they had seen, they began to share.  They began telling others about what they had heard and seen for themselves.  And people were astounded and full of wonder.  

And so questions pepper my thoughts as I read these beloved scriptures… Now that I am found, am I stewarding my commission to share with others Who found me?  Is heavenly peace and joy emanating from me in this celebration of the Savior's arrival?  Is there a sense of devotion to tell others why He came and what He offers?  Am I allowing this high-priority purpose to be shelved in order to appease cultural demands?  

Lord,  It's the perfect time to tell others about You.  To let our traditions and celebrations be signs that point to the Savior of the world.  Make us vessels that reveal Your mysteriously beautiful love for us.  Let our homes be a place of encounter for the lost and broken.  Infuse our traditions and celebrations with Your love, joy and peace and let Your presence rest upon us.  As Brian Johnson sings, "For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me.  Light a flame in my soul for every eye to see."  Amen.