Why would I spend 31 days writing about moving?
I’ve asked myself the same thing for the last several weeks. On the days I’ve felt like I didn’t have anything to say and when I felt like I was saying the same thing over and over again, the question would ring in my ear: Whose idea was it to write for 31 days about moving? I did this voluntarily?
I love the good that can happen from a big transition.
It’s not so much about moving. It could be any big life change. Whatever it is that takes you from a place of being settled to a journey that is mostly unknown, that’s what I’m excited about. I’m worked up about it because it puts us in a place where we need God more than ever and we need people.
A crisis is a key to a compelling story.
I love an epic story.
When Frodo arrives with the ring at Mordor, I hold my breath until the mission is complete. I cheer when the momentum of the battle changes and his Fellowship of friends realize they are going to win. All of this happened to a boy who thought what he wanted most in life was to stay in his comfortable Shire and eat potatoes. And breakfast. And second breakfast. And luncheon. And. . . you get the picture.
That was before Gandalf showed up with a mission: take this ring and get it to Mordor, at all costs.
Frodo was a hobbit. Hobbits aren’t known for liking change, but even the person who most claims to hate change craves it at some point. Like me, and maybe you, we want our lives to tell a good story.It’s the conflict that hero overcomes in the story that makes it compelling.
The problem with a story that’s worth telling is that it requires something from us. It’s the conflict the hero overcomes in the story that makes it compelling.
There aren’t many things more conflict-inducing than moving.
A crisis identifies the need for a Fellowship.
(image obviously not mine- this one is from The Fellowship Of the Ring)
When you say yes to a life change like moving or anything that is similarly difficult, you’re more likely to look for people who are headed the same way. You find room for friends you didn’t have before. Some are taller, shorter or older than you first pictured. 🙂 Some join your adventure before you even knew you wanted them to.
I’ve seen it happen time and again. Great friendships develop in times of crisis.
A crisis makes us hungry for a Savior.
This is the drum I’ve beat over and over. We aren’t good enough, smart enough, or strong enough to live a compelling story well. Moving reminds me that this is God’s story and I get to be a part of it if I’m willing to say, “yes”. It never was about what I had to offer.
Keep fighting and watch for Him to show up.
I don’t have any idea how the plot is going to turn, but I have confidence in the author of the story who also happens to be the savior. The hero isn’t me and he’s going to show up at the right place and the right time. That will be a story worth telling. It will be a story I tell my kids and my grandkids.
Thank you for taking this 31 day trip with me. I’m grateful for you and your stories.
{You can find the full list of posts I wrote for this series here.}