Moving is terrible, awful, and just generally hard to do. M and I recently moved back into the state of Montana from the state of Florida. Think driving for four and a half days with only two drivers to drive our van and the 26 ft moving truck. Then add in three pets and five teens, and you have the right picture.
There we were nearing Kansas City, MO. It was a pleasant evening and not yet dark. Traffic was light. So I had my copilot text his dad’s copilot to see if they wanted to just punch it through the city. All agreed this was the best idea. As I was the lead car, I began to look for hotels as soon as I made it through KC. It was a nightmare. All of them were full, wouldn’t allow our pets, or had no room for a 26 ft moving truck. About midnight, we just gave up and caught a few hours sleep at a rest area before resuming our travels.
One of the things I always found fascinating in the Old Testament was that God instructed his people to make the pieces of the tabernacle and ark out of hammered gold. He didn’t want the builders to merely use a mold on His special objects. I believe, this is how God works with His people as well. We would love for our lives to molded gold, poured into a nice cozy cavity and left to take the shape of Jesus. However, the Christian life is not that way. Even as God purifies our life, He also hammers us into the image He wants. It’s a much more painful process and often we fail to see the good that comes out of it.
You see, looking back, I can see how God was moving ahead of us, preparing our way to our new home. Our landlord was able to meet us Wednesday instead of Thursday to give us the key to our new place. In addition, our oldest son, who lives not far from here, only had Wednesday available to swing by and help us unpack the truck. We were able to get in all of our beds by that evening so we could get a good night’s rest, and then we were able to leisurely unpack the rental truck as it was not due back until the following Monday.
What at the time seemed miserable and wearying in the end proved to be exactly what we needed. Even when we can’t see it in the moment, God is always faithful and loving, and He works through hardship to bring us where He wants us to be.
