MY BLOG POSTS

Did you know there are stages to moving? I learned these about ten years ago, before our first move overseas. I have recalled them with each subsequent move, and I am returning to them now, as our family adjusts to move #5.

Even if you aren’t moving, knowing these might help you understand those who are moving or will move. Every person is different, so these aren’t universally true, but they are generally pretty accurate.

Stage 1: LOVE 

Also known as “the honeymoon stage”, this usually occurs the first few months. I am in this stage right now. I love our new house, love that we’re so close to the beach, love our pool, love the neighborhood. I am excited about the possibilities in our new church and new school. I am, of course, sad to have left all the “knowns” back in Tampa, but the “unknowns” are still exciting. This will last for a while. Then I’ll hit…

Stage 2: LOATH

My daughter, Ellie, is here. She skipped Stage 1 and moved straight to Stage 2. She hates every single thing about our move. The school, she is sure, will be awful, as will the church. The new house is all right, but she’d rather be back in the old one. She misses her friends and her life. You might meet someone like this in school this year.  A sweet girl like Ellie who is just struggling to adjust to a move that she didn’t choose to make. Be kind and patient, and help her see this new place really isn’t that bad. But know, also, the worst is yet to come. Because after the “loathing” stage comes…

Stage 3: LEAVE

In this stage, you move past loathing to a desire to GET OUT. This usually occurs after a few months. It’s no longer new, no longer exciting. The stuff that you hated is just stuff. Your friends in your old town have moved on, aren’t calling you as much. But your new friends haven’t become as close as the ones you left. It takes a while for friendships to really deepen. You just want to leave. Sometimes, you want to go back to your old life, and sometimes you want a brand-new start in some other place – a place you can love. But, of course, that just means you have to start the stages all over again! Better to keep going, keep working, and get to…

Stage 4: LIVE

This usually happens by the end of the first year. It’s gradual, but one day, you realize that you think of the new house as “home.” You walk into school and church and have friends waving you over. You recognize people when you’re out at the grocery store and the mall. You get more calls from people you know than from solicitors. You never forget your old home or your old friends, but you learn to embrace the new ones. You belong.

Chances are, you or someone you know has gone through or will go through a move. If it’s you – be patient with yourself. All those emotions? They are perfectly normal. You WILL get through this. Be willing to ask for help, to introduce yourself to new people. If it’s someone you know, be patient with her. Moves are tough.

And remember, you can do ALL things through CHRIST who gives you strength! Even move.

You regulars probably noticed that I wasn’t really “here” the last couple weeks. And you probably know why – we moved from Tampa to Largo on June 28. The process of packing and unpacking is time and energy consuming. Not to mention, half the time, I had no idea where the computer was! But we are settled in now, and so I am back. REVOLUTIONARY is out next week, and I’ll spend some posts on that, as well as what my plans are after that in the coming weeks.

Today, though, I just want to say that the GPS might be the most wonderful invention of our time. Seriously. I have THE WORST sense of direction. I can get lost in places I know. So in a place I don’t know?? If it weren’t for the handy GPS on my phone, I might not be sitting at the computer writing this right now. I might be sleeping in my car somewhere in Pinellas county, with no idea how to get back to my house (because, to make things worse — all the streets around here are numbered: 118, 102, 66…. I HATE numbers!! That, combined with my terrible sense of direction, adds up to trouble, my friends!).

But I’m not sleeping in my car, I’m home. Because, although I have no idea how to get around Pinellas county, my GPS does. I just tell it where I want to go (like the beach….5.8 miles away!), and it takes me there. Once, I thought I knew where I was going, so I turned it off. BAD idea! But the good news is that, as soon as I turned it back on, it got me straightened out.

Thinking about how much I love my GPS made me think about something else that provides direction when I’m lost, that always knows the right way to go, something I need even more than I need directions to the beach: the Bible.

Sometimes, I think I can go without it, though. I can figure things out on my own. BAD idea! When I do that, I am unhappy, cranky, and confused. God isn’t up there forcing me to do things His way, but He is saying His ways are better than mine, and if I follow His paths, I will experience joy and peace, no matter the circumstances.

The Bible tells us that God has plans for us, paths that He will make straight. It tells us that, if we look the Him for direction, He will direct our steps. But we need to seek Him — we need to get into the Word, know it, and through it, know Him.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~Jer. 29:11