One of the first things we were advised upon entering a life of ministry was,
"expectations lead to disappointments, so have none." Your approach must be open handed and flexible,
if you don't want to become a tragic statistic. So be ready, willing, and able to pick up and go, for such is the life of ministry.
if you don't want to become a tragic statistic. So be ready, willing, and able to pick up and go, for such is the life of ministry.
This sounded like simple and practical advice so, we arrived in Montana
with a four year old and twelve year old in tow,
and had no expectations or plans, at least I thought I didn't. We just responded to the call, and came,
sight unseen. But life as we know, is not that simple. There are little expectations that are in there so deep,
we don't recognize them as such, and it surprises you when they surface.
Having a light touch is easier said than done, as it turns out.
sight unseen. But life as we know, is not that simple. There are little expectations that are in there so deep,
we don't recognize them as such, and it surprises you when they surface.
Having a light touch is easier said than done, as it turns out.
Certainly, in the back of my mind, I thought I fully grasped the concept, and I thought this shouldn't be too much of a problem considering I had a love-hate relationship in regards to our house in the woods. I could easily let it go when the time came.
For one thing, it was too secluded for me, and my love of company and neighbors, and bar-b-ques (which were also, as it turns out, expectations). My front door was a flight up (as was my kitchen), which made grocery day interesting. It was also off the beaten path for us. There was no such thing as "running out for a jug of milk." No, running up to the corner store, or gassing up the car must be planned out in advance and would take an hour or so. And don't even get me going on the infrastructure. Because we are talking about a pretty rural state with a smaller population
For one thing, it was too secluded for me, and my love of company and neighbors, and bar-b-ques (which were also, as it turns out, expectations). My front door was a flight up (as was my kitchen), which made grocery day interesting. It was also off the beaten path for us. There was no such thing as "running out for a jug of milk." No, running up to the corner store, or gassing up the car must be planned out in advance and would take an hour or so. And don't even get me going on the infrastructure. Because we are talking about a pretty rural state with a smaller population
(our former city had more people in it the whole state does), the revenues don't allow for street lights, guard rails, reliable snow plows, and even paved streets and signs on occasion. Our school had 70 kids total, and one school bus. The kids that lived north of the school went home first, while the remaining kids who lived south of the school waited there until the bus returned and it was their turn. There is also no garbage pick up, which means you do it yourself. And since we have bears, the trash is kept inside until it's hauled to the dump. We were media free for two years. We didn't get television reception or Internet up on the mountain so we did without. Did I mention the forest fires? This becomes a very real seasonal concern in the summer months. But probably the hardest adjustment was being a four day drive from home base and family. Visits were rare.
When the initial thrill of our move wore off, I was surprised and ashamed of my feelings of homesickness, and irritation caused by daily inconveniences. "Shouldn't I be above this?"
But after some spiritual inventory, it occurred to me that that not only did I come with expectations, I had a lot of them. I didn't like the thought of myself being prissy, or high maintenance. I left all to serve Him, didn't I? But God in His faithfulness, showed me that I really do like comfort and ease!
But He had grace enough for that! He, in HIS grace, brought these to my attention that I might change and grow. Thankfully, God uses foolish things.
I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that HE who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Phil. 1:3-6
The Lord started to move in my heart, and the life changes that I regarded as quirky and irritating at first, prayerfully turned into reluctant resignations, which turned into accepting compliance, which then turned into after-thoughts or "no biggies" for the most part.
I started to really like the long, winding country roads. The quiet made for meditative mornings; and i finally had a second-to-none bird habitat for my little feathered babies (http://6piedesinapod.blogspot.com/2012/02/bird-nerd.html ).
And oh, the awesome nights of star gazing!
And one day when we weren't looking, the house in the woods became our home. The surrender wasn't immediate, or neat and tidy like I supposed. It was gradual and sneaky.
When the initial thrill of our move wore off, I was surprised and ashamed of my feelings of homesickness, and irritation caused by daily inconveniences. "Shouldn't I be above this?"
But after some spiritual inventory, it occurred to me that that not only did I come with expectations, I had a lot of them. I didn't like the thought of myself being prissy, or high maintenance. I left all to serve Him, didn't I? But God in His faithfulness, showed me that I really do like comfort and ease!
But He had grace enough for that! He, in HIS grace, brought these to my attention that I might change and grow. Thankfully, God uses foolish things.
I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that HE who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Phil. 1:3-6
But GOD.....
The Lord started to move in my heart, and the life changes that I regarded as quirky and irritating at first, prayerfully turned into reluctant resignations, which turned into accepting compliance, which then turned into after-thoughts or "no biggies" for the most part.
I started to really like the long, winding country roads. The quiet made for meditative mornings; and i finally had a second-to-none bird habitat for my little feathered babies (http://6piedesinapod.blogspot.com/2012/02/bird-nerd.html ).
And oh, the awesome nights of star gazing!
And one day when we weren't looking, the house in the woods became our home. The surrender wasn't immediate, or neat and tidy like I supposed. It was gradual and sneaky.
It was a bunch of quiet moments of absorbing, processing and adapting.
John Lennon once said,
John Lennon once said,
"Life is what happens when you're making other plans."
How true that is. As we were plugging away in our respective ministries- with John's away and mine at home, life was
happening. The kids were losing their baby teeth, and getting involved in drama club. And before you knew it,
we had routines, and friends and were saying things like, "better be getting home, now."
And it occurred to me that
And it occurred to me that
although geography plays a part, it isn't the sum of what home is.
In all of the hustle and bustle, we discovered that we put down some roots- albeit transplanted ones. We found that the most important part of our home were the people inside it. And when they aren't there, they are missed. And when one hurts, we all hurt.
And sometimes to fix it, you have to go.
In all of the hustle and bustle, we discovered that we put down some roots- albeit transplanted ones. We found that the most important part of our home were the people inside it. And when they aren't there, they are missed. And when one hurts, we all hurt.
And sometimes to fix it, you have to go.
So little by little we are packing up our things
and some things, we leave behind...
like a little bit of our hearts.
our neighborhood.
