IT BEGAN WITH A JOURNEY
Our faith began with a journey. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Three major faiths (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) all trace their origin back to this moment when the journey of faith began in response to God’s call. Faith is a journey where repeatedly you are asked to leave behind that which is precious to you and journey into the future trusting in the invisible God who calls you forward. A way to understand idolatry is to recognize the things, places, and relationships in our lives that are more precious than the God who calls us. We place our trust in lesser gods.
MOVING AFTER 30 YEARS
My recent move from North Carolina to Florida left behind 31 years of precious memories, satisfactions, relationships, and, yes, THINGS. On the one hand it is hardly as dramatic as Abram’s move, but there are some lessons from that move that speak to my journey of faith.
ADVENTURE
First, the adventure of it all. My first move was from a farm in Illinois after my father died. As I think back now, that was the first of numerous moves and each was filled with the adventure of new places, people, and possibilities. When Sandy and I considered this move, we saw it as one more opportunity to have a new adventure. While our former community offered security, there was always the danger we might just settle down and wait for life to be over. This offered us new excitement, discovery, possibilities. Faith should be like that. You should always be venturing forward, looking expectantly for what God may have in store for you.
PACKING
We did our own packing. We discovered some remarkable videos on Youtube that taught us some of the tricks of packing. Getting the appropriate boxes, newsprint, bubble wrap, etc. are all important to the preservation of your valuables. (We actually only had two small items damaged in the move.) On your journey of faith, you need to protect those traditions and practices that are important to you. You need to let go of many things that were once important to you, but you also carry with you beliefs and practices that provide you stability in a changing environment.
YOUR SPIRITUAL EXERCISE
As a spiritual exercise, do your own mental packing. If you were going to experience some significant change in your life, what are 5 beliefs and 3 spiritual practices that you would like to carry with you?
