Life is a "Moving" Target

Seems like I've been involved in a lot of moving here lately.   We moved some of my late mother-in-laws furniture to our home; a trek of some 350 miles in a U-Haul truck.  Last week we helped by son and daughter-in-law and our grandchildren move from one town in Missouri to another.  And over the last couple of weeks, I have been moving my office from one place in our church facility to another, as part of an overall plan to deploy all our staff in the places that best suit their gifts and skills for their part in the ministry of leading people in new life with Jesus.

Moving is not easy.  It's in the top stresses in life.   It's tiring, to begin with.  I had moments when I thought, "I cannot lift one more box; I cannot drag one more piece of furniture."   Moving can be overwhelming.  ("When did I accumulate all this stuff?!?")   Above all, it's totally disorienting.  I My staff can tell you that I've spent time over the last two weeks sort of staggering around between my old office and my new office, looking kind of lost and bewildered.  I saw the same look on my wife as she struggled with what to do and where to place her mother's furniture in relation to our existing furniture. And I know our son and his family are still in a daze of unpacking boxes and getting acclimated to a strange, new setting.

Unsettling as it is, though, moving brings its own kind of energy.  First, it can be cleansing.  Moving to a new office forced me to get rid of a lot of stuff that I've had for years with no purpose.  Also, there's excitement and potency in a fresh start.  My new office has the feel of hopefulness and eagerness I have about our church's future in continuing our disciple-making mission.

The Church, the Body of Christ, the hope of the world is a movement.  We serve a God who makes all things new, and we follow a risen Savior who commands that week keep moving into our mission field, to change lives and to transform the world.  Continually moving forward is not easy; it can feel much easier just to try to stand still.  Sometimes moving forward leaves us dazed, disoriented, and tired.  But we have to keep our eye on the prize and remember that the most important word in the Matthew 28:19 Great Commission is "GO!"