Moving—some people dread it; some people love it. In my case, I love the adventure that comes with moving. This has been a part of my life since I was a young child. My parents didn’t have careers that required them to move, but my parents did move around a lot to try different career ventures. It was a great experience and we made friends all along the way. As a child, I had a difficult time making friends, but I would say moving multiple times eventually gave me the experience and confidence needed to initiate conversations with people and build friendships.
Many people who know us currently may think that this was our first big move, but for me it started when I decided to accept a teaching position in a remote community in northern Manitoba three years prior. It was something I was so excited to do, as long as, my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) would come along for the journey. He was willing to stay by my side though this transition and he eventually was able to move up there with me a couple years into my career after we got married. It brought us closer together and we made some memorable friendships.
We knew Manitoba wasn’t going to be our forever home. It was more of just a waiting game to see when my husband would be accepted into the RCMP. When we began hearing from recruiting, it didn’t take long for things to start happening. He eventually went on his way to depot for six months of training, then finally got his posting in St. Paul. The RCMP has us relocating every few years. This was one of the perks of the job for us. We loved the idea of moving across the country and exploring so many different communities. We couldn’t be more thrilled with Alberta, because who could deny the beauty of the mountains. Although, St. Paul is no where near the mountains, it has blessed us is so many ways. This is where we bought our first house, brought home all three of our babies, made friends who have become family, and most importantly fell in love with Christ. I’m saddened by the thought of leaving where so much has started, but I know the Lord has great plans ahead for us.
Now don’t let me get ahead of myself here. We don’t get to move to our next location until we sell our house. This may seem like a simple task, but in today’s market with so much selection, there seems to be very little movement. Going into this experience, I thought I would handle the selling of our house well, but it turns out God is using this experience to once again mold my heart.
The day after we listed our house, we had our very first showing. My old self quickly reared its ugly head and I started barking orders at my children, placing unrealistic expectations on these three little ones to keep the house spick and span. After that first showing, I knew I needed the Lord’s help. I began praying this prayer daily, “Lord, fill me with your love and peace today. Help me to be kind and patient, not selfish or easily provoked. Enable me to endure in all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). I knew I needed Him to fill me up, especially feeling so defeated after the house showing. I definitely needed kindness and patience to pour out on my children. I can only accomplish all these things with Christ in my corner. I’ve given Him reign in my heart and He’s working away at me. I’ve let go of trying to keep our house spick and span 100% of the time. I do a thorough clean right before the showing, then simply maintain it the rest of the time. I have relinquished control over the sale of the house. I cannot make someone fall in love with my house and it is not something I can force to happen. I know God has a plan for us, the timing is all according to His plan. I have stopped falling in love with potential new homes on the MLS listing website, and trusting that the Lord will guide and direct us to the home best suited to our family and His ministry when we get there.
This transition is giving me the opportunity to deal with pride in my heart. I am stepping down from some of my ministry leadership roles. I thought this would be a difficult transition for me, but I’ve found contentment in simply being able to serve and allowing someone else the opportunity to step into these roles.
I’ve been blessed with the gift of time to nurture and foster relationships and friendships with those around me. There have been some relationships I’ve been wanting to foster with people and this extra time has allowed me to reach out to them rather than let them slip by. The Lord has also blessed me with my incredible neighbour. We have recently started a women’s bible study along with her daughter and it has been so awesome to share our faith in this way.
I recently came across Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.” When I was going through a Bible Study, it asked me to look up Romans 12:13, but instead I read Romans 12:12. As soon as I read it, it spoke to my heart. I immediately wrote it down on a post-it and placed it in my prayer binder. At the time, it made no sense with the actual Bible Study (mainly because it was the wrong passage of Scripture), but it spoke volumes to my current circumstance and situation. I have leaned into this passage over the past few weeks and shared it with others. It is such a good reminder for us all no matter what we are going through. We can be joyful in everything because we have hope in Christ. We can be patient in affliction because we trust that He will always provide. And, we know that He hears and answers all those who call on Him.
As my family and I embark on this journey, I am excited to share with you how the Lord draws us nearer to Him. “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jeremiah writes this in his letter to the exiles warning them that the Lord will exile them to Babylon for seventy years, but He will not abandon them. Although, I know it won’t take seventy years for this move to happen (even though it feels like it some days), I know He has a plan for our family and that He is orchestrating every step of the way. His purpose is the same then as it is now, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.…” (Jeremiah 29:12). This couldn’t be more true! Simply hold fast to the Lord’s promises.
Many Blessings!
The Sweet Taste of Grace 