Having a military career means lots of moving. In the last fifteen years I have moved my
family no less than nine times; an average of once every 20 months. Military members also often help each other
move. Over an entire career, that is a
lot of moves I have participated in. Over
time, our nomadic lifestyle has disciplined us into developing adaptive and
persevering natures. We grow not only
accustomed to change but over time thrive and even yearn for it.
I realized recently that my “adaptive and persevering” nature
has developed a thorn. I have become condescending
towards those that rarely move and therefore buckle under the pressure of doing
so. However, in a moment
of my significant lack of sympathy in my neighbor’s struggle, I was hit with an
epiphany; moving is not normal. Consider the first move of Man. Adam and Eve lived in the paradise of Eden
until they sinned and were promptly evicted from the premises (Gen 3:23-24). Every time we move it is a reminder of
original sin and the resulting alienation between Man and God. Even in the best of
situations, when we choose to move rather than be evicted, we are merely
seeking something better than we have, ultimately searching for that which can
only be satisfied when we finally arrive in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. We drag our families around in pursuit of
that better job, prestigious school district, bigger house, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these, yet
our never ending hunger for such things is really an ancient echo of our
eviction from Eden and our longing to return.
Moving will continue to be a part of life this side of
glory. Being adaptive and persevering
through change are sound traits. However,
one should never become so callous to moving that they look down on those that
rightly struggle. Do you trust in the righteous works of Jesus alone for your salvation? If so, you can go through the process of moving with the peace of mind that at least your move into the Kingdom God has already been accomplished.
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