Move minus seven

We're counting down to the move. Enjoyed spending this morning in civilian clothes making contact with dear old friends in two different churches where I've spent lots of time in the past. Our third floor is pretty well wrapped up, as is the second floor and the garage. There are a few things from the bedrooms and closets that will require a couple of hours' attention in about a week. The first floor is going to be the focus of attention now. I was observing that it's a little like the set of a movie or television show. We can look at the dining room from one angle and it looks perfectly normal, like nothing is going on. We can look from the opposite direction and it's an incredible bit of organized chaos. The kitchen is entirely untouched and is rather shut off from the rest of the house (a terrible bit of architecture but in this instance it creates a very nice little haven). One view of the living room is perfectly normal and the rest of it is awash in boxes, newspapers, bubble wrap, and tape just waiting to be put to work.

Maybe this is a little like our lives. We're works in progress. We'd like to think everything is peaceful and idyllic. And on one level it is. Yet at the same time we can have a great deal of activity going on. What we try to learn, and do learn more or less well, is that all the elements of our life are somehow working together and that the gracious Lord Jesus is mercifully in charge, protecting us from all harm. There are some things that matter a lot, like knowing where your eyeglasses are or being able to communicate with dear old friends. Then there are some things that don't really matter that much, like having the boxes sorted according to size or being able to lay your hands on the onyx pig that proudly sits on your desk in his rightful place.

As one crusty old missionary I met once would say, he and his wife would look at one another and remind each other, "We're going to make it. We may not look like much when we get there, but we're going to make it."

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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogspot.com