Packing and the trace of life

I am sitting here with my cut off turtle neck….okay, arms cut, not the bottom. I am so not one of those who look in the mirror and say, “Yeah, lookin’ good” until I see myself in the light. I did find it humorous the other day. I had on a sleeveless shirt, and had yet to put on my second shirt. I was standing infront of the mirror fixing my hair when Joshua walked by and said, “Oh no, your arms are naked, I cannot see that.” He is so used to me wearing two shirts and sometimes an added sweater...not exposing my arms. Sorry, I digress.

So I am sitting here taking a break from packing up the kids rooms and then off to the other areas of house, getting ready to move, realizing it was only 7 months ago that we bought this house. Making it our own, painting the rooms colors that reflected our personalities….a place to finally call “ours”. Our plan (did you catch that?) Our plan was to stay in the house for 5 years and then give it to the church, yet obviously God’s plan…is always much bigger. The church will still get the house, but we are moving on and away from where we are. The New Chapter with boxes and newspaper.

Packing is not something I enjoy. Change is not something I look for and honestly, I try to avoid…yet I continue to find myself smack in the middle of it all.

Packing…

Yet, I sit here reflecting I realize that “packing” does not totally mean you are “gone”. There is always some form of remnant, a trace left to say that you were there….or that is how it should be. I love that when Christ “packed” and went home to prepare a home for us that He left something….He left His Spirit. To comfort, to guide, to be…..

When we leave any place that we have had significant relationships in, there is something that remains whether good or bad and it touches the very lives we have spilled over onto and into. Whether it was a touch of concern, console, encouragement, sympathy, empathy, compassion, humor…it somehow remains. The truth can be said with a negative touch of bitterness, envy, hatred, gossip, pain, words of malice, being ignored….it also somehow remains.
There is a place in this world that I do not like to visit because of remnants that remain that spilled over my childhood and young adult life. On the flip side there is also another place that I love and long to one day return to, and embrace my friends….just as Paul longed to see Timothy.
My deepest prayer is that as we enter this New Chapter that our remnants that remain are ones that brought a touch of love, concern, console, encouragement, sympathy, empathy, compassion and a lot of humor. That those remnants draw you to the feet of Christ and that they truly reflect HIM. And, when we come to visit may it be as Paul to Timothy.

Please know that we love you all! Now and always.