Letting go and moving on {a story of trust and flourishing}

Letting go and moving on

She was happy. Established. Flourishing.

Yet, God called her into something new.

It was scary. She dug her heels in, yet change happened.

She was happy. Established. She felt safe, secure.

Yet, God called her into something new. Again.

And each time, she dug her heels in a little less, as change happened.

Until one day, God called her into something new….

And she ran into the invitation with eager anticipation and trust

.She became happy. Established. And truly was secure, because she had history.

A story of roots and upheaval and letting go and finding peace.

She flourished in the sunshine of His presence.

Listening. Settled. Ready.

Are you ready to move on to something new?

In Genesis 12:1, God appears to Abraham and gives him an invitation. “ The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”

Can you imagine yourself in that position? Being asked to leave everything you know, your home, your friends and family, your community, perhaps even your financial security of food and shelter. What would you say?

I know something of upheaval. Of letting go and moving on.

Many moves, hopes and promises that failed to materialize. Building community from scratch. Being the outsider in a strange land (ish). Digging my heels in with desperate resistance, wanting to stay with what I knew.

Other moves, eager with hopes based on God’s invitations.

How do I let go and move on?

Following God often requires sacrifice. But, that is where the trust is. Consider the character of God…it is unchanging. Trustworthy.

When he calls us, whether it feels exciting…or unnerving, we can move forward with confidence.

Abraham’s journey was far from simple. He wasn’t traveling alone. He had family, household members, animals, supplies.

All the effort of moving a great distance, minus hotels, restaurants, moving trucks.

Where are you today? Is God nudging you towards a change?

A physical move, perhaps an emotional healing, forgiveness, or other major life shift?

Go, please.

Moving on with imperfect faith

It is okay to go with shaky knees and doubts. Letting go and moving on is hard. We are still human after all. Trusting God doesn’t require perfection, He invites us to come as we are.

Come as YOU are today. How? One step at a time.

If you feel as though “that” ship has sailed, or you are too old, or ____________?

Consider this…Abraham was 75 when his journey started!

It is never too late for a new adventure (BTW, I still don’t have this down perfectly, but I’ve enough backstory now to trust)

Flourishing in a new place

When I was studying this, God reminded me of another verse.

Jeremiah 29:5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.”

After this last move, I was filled with doubt. We had seen so much of His hand at work in beautiful ways…but SO much life change had happened at once, my head was swirling.

That insecure me wondered if we had made the wrong decision to move here. Wrong decisions about too many things. What a waste of life!

This verse gave me peace, where God calls me, I will settle down while I am there. I will create a home that is life-giving and welcoming. I will plant gardens. I will flourish and build a life.

We can’t build a rich, fulfilling life going backward.

I have always dreamed of living in a cute cottage in the English countryside. Well, we live in the Sonoran desert. Yep, Saguaro cactus’ are tourist attractions!

There is amazing beauty in the desert, but it can be a harsh landscape. Like Abraham, I have traveled where God invited me. While I am here, my husband has created me the loveliest garden retreat.

Someday, God might call us to move again. And through my resistance, the joyful voice of yes, will come through.

P.S. Here is a little peek at our garden, formerly just a small yard 🙂  Add little touches of whimsy wherever you live, especially if you are having a hard time embracing it. A tiny tinfoil star hanging in a window to catch the sun. Or, as we did, an arbor we hope will be flower-covered and create delight (even though it just leads to a few feet on the side of the house). We imagined our grandchildren playing around their secret garden someday… joy that tells stories of faith in our remembrance of trusting God