A Curious Turn of Events

We are one month in on a six month lease of our new house. The owners have had it for sale for some time and decided they wanted someone to rent it.  One of the things that we determined to do was go to our house in the valley and pick up a bit of furniture to fill our new home.  We grabbed our full length couch (great napping couch and great couch for conversation), our other full size bed for the guest room, our toaster oven, lamps and pictures.

We had an opportunity from a friend to take his little open trailer to bring some more stuff back, but it seemed like we should just stick with what we could fit in the borrowed pick-up.  It was a successful trip and we got to spend some time with old friends and worship at the church we were a part of.

Then, back to the coast, back to our church that we minister in, and back to our new home. And back to the news that it looks like our new house that we have just moved to and just brought the furniture to fill, is going to be sold.  A curious turn of events.

So, in six, I mean five, months from now, we will be living, or hopefully living in our fourth home since accepting the call to pastor this coastal church. For a guy who likes periodic change to his world, this is even getting a bit much.

While I am extremely grateful that we get to live here, even for a short amount of time, and with the extra space and the view, I can’t help but wonder what is in store for us in the future.  We were first called here for an eight month interim as pastor.  When the church called us full time, we found the cottage and signed a year lease so we knew we would be here for year.  Then the second year lease at the cottage, so one more year here.

This time was a six month lease, so it stands to reason six more months her. But now, what about later?   I am by no means trying to read anything into this as I have learned that God will do what God will do, but it does have my interest peaked and the observational portion of my brain is, at this present time, heightened.

I am not an adventurous person, but I do always seem to have one foot over the edge of newness, excitement, and the ever churning waters of change, but the other foot has found its setting in the stable, the sure, and the secure solid foundation of land.  I am not so much double minded as I am double footed.

My wife has a picture of a painting that has sort of become a description of who I am, or at least, who I think I am.  It is called The Drifter.  It is a 50’s style man in a hat, vest, sleeves rolled up, carrying a small rectangular suitcase down the beach.  And it appears that he is headed out from somewhere walking toward somewhere else.

I am reminded, over and over again, that we are where we are at, because we are where we are at.  It is not a profound statement, but for me, it is true.  No matter how much we enjoy, no matter how great our location, no matter how much beauty surrounds us, and no matter how content or comfortable we are, for the believer, this is not and has never been our home. 

We are just drifting (with purpose mind you) through this corruptible to one day achieve the incorruptible. We have been on a journey.  And one day, one glorious day, we will be finally home. 

So for the next six, I mean five, months the only thing we can do is treat the place as a lovely vacation rental home and enjoy every minute of it.  It will be a time of resting, relaxing, refreshing, and getting ready for the next leg of the journey.

Ever drifting,

Me