On the Move

Moving. Change. Two words that a year ago would have set fear in my heart and trembling in my knees. Yet, through the grace of God both of those words have a different light for me today. As it says in Romans 12:12, "Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful."

"Be glad for all God is planning for you." That is a tall order when you have no idea what His plans will entail. So you ask, "God, what are you planning for me?" He may respond, or He may respond with one word, "trust." I am learning a new way to trust. When someone has been dealt some of the cards of life that build mistrust, it can be difficult to trust again. I trust my close friends. I trust my family. I trust my coworkers. But I'm still learning to trust myself. To trust that decisions I make are following God's plan and not just my own. If you have ever made poor decisions that you know were directly out of God's plan, it may take some time to trust yourself again. Trust your competence. Trust your abilities. MOVE with God and trust in Him.

I'm moving. Literally and figuratively. I am moving this month just a few miles north of where I live now, but a move is a move. It involves cost, time, and some backaches. The same is true when we move in our spiritual lives. There is cost and time involved and when we don't move the way we know we should, there are backaches.

I am moving into a one-bedroom apartment. I will be living alone for the first time. I am quite excited. I am decorating and hanging art and painting and making the space truly my own. That is what God has been doing in my heart too. My heart should be like my one-bedroom apartment for God. Although you can have visitors, it is perfectly suited for one. The One. The I AM. He desires to decorate my spirit with His love and colors that only He can make visible to me. Once those things are visible to me they then become visible to others as God shines His handiwork through my life and actions. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "It is not you but your radiance." How true that is. However, I have tweaked it some for a better purpose, "It is not you but HIS radiance."

How is God moving in your life right now? Are you in a time of transition? Do you feel unsettled? Be still my friend. God is planning great things for you. "Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful." (Romans 12:12b) God is moving all around and He desires to have a great part of your life. Don't settle for blank walls and bleak surroundings when God can paint your life full of His colors and grace.

Being on the move can be a wonderful experience.