A few months ago, my sister and her family moved from Cleveland to New Orleans. Prior to the move, we could visit them anytime. Weekends. Holidays. Summer Vacations. Day Trips. We’re in Pittsburgh, PA. – They’re in Cleveland, OH. It was awesome to have them so close by. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit them at their new home, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. My sister and brother-in-law were busy writing papers and studying for finals, so I took the opportunity to spend some quality time with my niece and nephews.
Their move was hard on our family. When they first made the announcement, we were all in disbelief. Everything was going to CHANGE. How would holidays work? What about New Year’s Eve? What about our annual Cousin’s Week? The one week in the summer when we all travel to Cleveland for Vacation Bible School at Liberty Hill Baptist Church where my brother-in-law was the Pastor. It’s been hard for me to come to terms with their move, so I could only imagine how difficult the move was on my niece and nephews.
During my visit, I decided to ask, “How has the move been for you?” Much to my surprise, they all said the same thing.
At first, they were in shock. “They must be joking. We aren’t really going to leave Cleveland and move that far away, are we?”
Then,they were nervous and scared. “How can we leave the only home we’ve known for the last 10-years? How can we leave all our friends?”
I thought they would stop there. I wasn’t totally prepared for what they said next…
“But mom and dad said we were going, so we went. And now that we’re here, we really like it. We like our new school. We like our new friends. We like the community center down the street. And we love getting snowballs and beignets!”
As I was traveling back home, I thought about how my niece and nephews have embraced the CHANGE God put in front of them. Even though they were shocked and scared, they trusted their parents and the result is a new home in a new city filled with excitement and new possibilities.
The truth is…we all should be like my niece and nephews. When God calls us to a new thing, a CHANGE, we should embrace it. Be shocked, be nervous and scared, but trust that God is faithful and will work everything out for our good and His Glory. God has a plan for our lives and it often requires a CHANGE.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
