Settling without Settling

This has been quite an intense month since returned from Abbotsford.  It's been a lot.  It's been good.  There have been some days that have been frustrating as we tried to figure out why it was so difficult to get internet hooked up, why it was so difficult to get a dryer that worked, why the plumber kept making things worse instead of better...  Last week Lowell wrote on our other blog about my cousin Karen passing away suddenly a couple of weeks ago.  Dealing with the little annoying stuff and grieving my cousin's death and trying to get settled in a new home and new "job" again all at the same time, I realized, was probably good preparation for when we move to Peru.  Surely we will be grieving saying goodbye to many, dealing with new roles, and dealing with frustrating details in a new place all at the same time as well.

It's an odd dynamic to be trying to get settled in while knowing that in possibly less than 9 months we will be uprooting and resettling again.  I wonder if I will remember what it feels like to really be settled?  How to get there?  The other day I was reading Genesis 11 and was struck by verses 31 & 32.

"Terah took his son Abram... Lot... and... Sarai, ... and together they set out from Ur... to go to Canaan.  But when they came to Haran, they settled there.  Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran."

It's interesting to me that Abram's father set out on a journey, but settled before he reached his destination.  We need to find a certain degree of settled-ness here, but not so much that we decide to stop!  Like being a tree that's been uprooted and placed in a temporary pot awaiting its final transplantation.  Like holding our breath.  Like treading water.  All things that are okay for a while, but not too long or you'll die or pass out or drown.  God knows how long we can and will live like this.

In the meantime, we are super excited that at the end of next week, we will be (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!drumroll please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) flying to Peru!!!!!   It will be a short trip, but I can not wait to get my feet on Peruvian soil.  We are excited about meeting our Peruvian brothers and sisters and visiting churches and exploring a few cities where we may end up living.  I expect that by the time we leave we will be even less tempted to settle in Fresno...

But let's all of us remember that none of us are ever supposed to be completely settled anywhere on this earth.  Our real home is heaven and until we get there, our hearts will never be completely satisfied.  They aren't meant to be.  Like Noah and Abraham and Sarah...

"All these people were still living by faith when they died... And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth...  Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."  Hebrews 11:13, 16

Here or in Abbotsford or in Peru, we are always aliens and strangers longing for heaven.  And if we live by faith, God will not be ashamed to be called our God.  Let's pray and long for that!!!