Whew, I sit here looking at this blank screen, thoughts swirling around but not landing on the way to start this blog post or the words to use in it or the message I want to convey through it. My mind jumps from the amazingly blessed final day we spent in PA with our family, friends, church, and brothers and sisters in Christ and then to the drive from Pennsylvania to Ketucky and that final Sheetz stop, to our move-in day at Kalas Village where a welcoming crew unloaded our truck in under an hour and stuck around to put together bunk beds and feed us dinner, to my kids' first sleepovers and our first potluck, our first visitors to our first facetime with Mom and Dad... so many things to say, so many ways to say it... I am left a bit speechless.
So instead of focusing on details in the story, can I focus instead on what makes the story so beautiful and amazing? The thing that makes it more than a story but a picture of the love of Christ lived out in the lives of people who choose to love others over themselves and seek first the kingdom of heaven. The beauty of true fellowship and love found in the bond of Christ and lived out by His people here on earth.
Our final Sunday in PA, I awoke with a sense of dread mixed with anticipation and overlayed in a fully Type A "get her done" attitude. I knew that at church, we'd be prayed over by our pastor and sent out in faith. What I did not know is that so many of our church family would come up to pray over us and gift us with everything from monetary gifts to bags full of goodies and treats for our ride to Kentucky. I knew that Pastor Brent was teaching on Timothy, but I didn't know that at the end of his sermon he would ask people to pray for one another and that Trina Snoke would envelope my girls in a prayer time that will never be forgotten by either of them. I knew that we were going out to eat with our friends, Pastor Larry and his wife Jamie, but what I didn't know was that while we were there we would have a sweet time of fellowship and sweet potato fries (new favorite food obsession) and that others in the restaurant would come to say good -bye to us before we left. I knew that we'd go home to start packing a UHaul but I did not know that our dear friend Pete Byers would be in our driveway waiting for us so he could give us a proper good-bye (yes, at this point in writing this blog, I am crying). I knew that I was going over to have some time alone with my parents before I left, but I didn't know how much we would cry. I knew we had friends coming to help us load the truck and clean the house, but I didn't know that their help would be mean I didn't have to go inside and see "my" house empty without our belongings in it and that in my mind's eye it would always be the house we lived in. I knew our friends and family would pray for us as we left, but I didn't know that we'd stand in a circle in our front yard as prayer after prayer of love and support were lifted to heaven on our behalf. I knew we'd grieve the final goodbyes, but I didn't know that as I drove the words that were prayed over us would swirl around me with the peace of Christ, soothing my soul and drying my tears.
You see, it wasn't so much the stuff that happened that day; it was the sacrificial love shown to us that day that I will never ever forget... well, that and the sweet potato fries (seriously, go get some at Red Robin and be amazed!) My memories of that day are pretty fuzzy when it comes to what actually happened. I purposely didn't take pictures. I didn't want to remember what it looked like. My heart has captured what was important that day. The lasting things.
"Now these three things remain; faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love."
And there you have it my friends. Our moving story in a tiny little verse, all wrapped up in perfect succintness and beautiful truth. We are stepping out in faith, we are filled with great hope about what God will do, but more than anything else, we are in awe of His amazing, abundant love lived out in our brothers and sisters and shown to us in a myriad of ways.
As I drove out our road one last time, past all the familiar houses and down all the familiar roads, farther and farther from the place I have called home for so many years, I could literally feel the love that was carrying us ahead. At that time, I had no idea what the next day held (and you'll have to wait a little bit for that too as this blog is already quite long). I had no concept of what the future looked like. I didn't even know what our house was going to look like or be located. But I knew, and know, Love, lived out through you and encompassed in Christ.
"He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, bending beneath the wind of His grace and mercy. When all of the sudden, I am overwhelmed by these afflictions eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me. Oh, how He loves us so... oh how He loves us, how He loves us so" - David Crowder
To be continued... (hey, I've been gone a whole week!! It's gonna take more than one post ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment