Moving on in faith
Geoff Boxall on stepping out with God...

Moving house - most of us have done it at some time in our lives. You can probably remember what the big day was like...

You're up early, trying to find a shirt you are convinced your other half has probably packed. The comments begin - "I suppose we had better make a start...where IS the teapot?"...or "Where's that list?" or “I thought I told you to take those trousers to the hospice shop, you know they don't fit you anymore”, or "I do hope we are going to get it all in the van" or "You should have thrown that shirt away, it’s got paint all down it”... or "I hope the natives are going to be fnendly” or "Just WHY are we doing this?"

Van comes (driven by son and partner who are helping us move), so does the rain, so does the postman with a pile of mail that will just have to wait (have we left something unanswered?). Friends arrive, bless them, to help with the final clean through and to pack the van. One has taken a day off work just to to help......perhaps he wanted to make sure we went. Destination is reached, later than planned due to an M4 hold-up, where we find the garden hasn't been turfed. Never mind, the rain has stopped, and there are welcoming cards from our new neighbours.

Eventually the van is emptied, son and partner begin their journey home, having given approval of ma and pa’s new pad.

And we say "Where IS that teapot?”

Well folks, that was my wife Daphne and I last October. The bud of early retirement was coming into bloom (we do like roses). We HAVE found the natives friendly, and Tavistock and its environs are very pleasant and attractive (we live in a village nearby).

We have many new friends whose kindness and hospitality have enhanced our settling in and we really knew the answer to the question 'why are we doing this?' all along.

We have been Christians many years, during which God has made it very clear to us on at least three occasions that we should move home. Once we found it hard to understand why, as our new home was in a particularly filthy state upon our arrival, but eventually God made it clear that it was all part of His plan for our lives. We believe that our move to the South West is all part of that plan too.

Do you know that God has a plan for your life, if you will allow him to use it? Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). You too can have life to the full, know the inner peace that comes from cleaning your life up and knowing that whenever you may die that important bit of you, your soul, will be alive for ever and enjoy the making of new friends.

But there is a cost - to make a new beginning with Jesus, you have to be willing to give everything in your life to him. He won't force you to do it (God never forces us to do anything). Daphne and I could have stayed where we were but we chose to follow God's prompting and make a new beginning as we drove away from our old home in Hampshire. We had to trust Him. We had to step into the car and release the brake.

You are the only one who can make the first move towards a new beginning in your life. The invitation is there. Are you going to accept?

Geoff

 

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