On the day of my flight out of Seattle, I woke up to snow! Fortunately in Seattle they know what to do with snow and I was able to fly out to go home on time. Apparently Everett gets some snow each year. Our boys will love it!
"Home is now behind you, the world is ahead." - The Hobbit
Isn't it funny that we can spend so much time accumulating things and spending huge amounts of money on them only to discover that they are either sold off for nothing or that we can't keep them? I first experienced this after my mother in law passed away in 2004. We had the challenge of selling her worldly possessions off to clear the house out, and in the end we didn't make very much off of it! We spend years accumulating and purchasing all to have it passed to somebody else in the end.
Ecclesiastes 6:1-2
There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.
The most difficult part of Tuesday was in saying goodbye. We were fortunate to stay with our neighbors Dave and Barbara on our last night there. They are among the best people we know, and have been like grandparents to us. Saying goodbye to people such as this is a very difficult thing.
We also said goodbye to my Dad and his wife Debra after eating lunch with them. Leaving family is always difficult, but even more so when it is your Dad. There are so many things that I wanted to say, but in times like these I just can't find the right words.
More Provision
The Lord continues to provide for us on every step of this journey. Since my last post we nearly gave up on the house that we were attempting to rent. During our back and fourth with the owners regarding renting the house, they added some provisions to the contract that upon first glance seemed very strict and unreasonable. I remember seeing them and getting very angry. I had one of those nights where I couldn't go to sleep and decided that I had to pray. I was so overcome with emotion that I didn't know what to pray, but I attempted to voice my frustration to God. As it turned out, the next day I discovered that it was me who had misunderstood and misinterpreted what was written in the contract. Sadly, in my heart I know I was upset with God the night before for appearing to lead us down another dead end. But as usual the goodness of the Lord far exceeds anything I can understand, and in His grace he appears to have provided this house for us at the very second that we needed it. We plan on moving in on either January 1st or 2nd.
That seems to be a pattern for how He works in the life of this family. We receive his provision at the very second we need it, never before, and never in a way that we expected to receive it. The Lord is good.
In addition to a house, the Lord has provided financial resources for this move to be able to happen. When we decided to move to Everett in late October we literally had no idea where the money would come from. While we do save money in the bank, we don't typically put huge amounts away unless we are planning ahead for something big. This change happened so quickly that we couldn't plan ahead.
Here are the things that we didn't have money for. I don't list them for any other purpose other than showing the world how the Lord has provided for our family in a very specific ways.
- Fuel to drive to Everett in my truck.
- Money for a trailer to take a first load of important items to Everett.
- Hotel money for each night of my drive to Everett.
- Hotel stay in Everett for 2 solid weeks.
- Cost of the move from Huffman to Everett (enormous).
- Fuel cost to drive our other car to Everett.
- Hotel money for the family as we drive to Everett.
- Initial deposit and 2 months rent on a house.
Look at that list above. While I didn't add costs to any of them, I can tell you that they are extensive and were out of our reach. Now for the surprise: the Lord provided in whole or in part for each of these. We haven't asked for anything from anyone (other than a persistent person at our church, whom I thank), but many have stepped forward, usually stating that they "felt they needed to give" something to us. We have also found money from totally unexpected places and venues. Each time it was just in time and was not planned by us. That's how the Father provides.
The Lord has reminded me so many times of this verse, which can so easily be taken out of context.
Matthew 6:31-34
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? ’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Many churchgoers take this out of context by thinking that they can superficially put the things of God as first in their lives, then on the back-end they will receive all of the things they want. Our consumer culture in America has created this perversion. But look at the verses again. Notice that it says "he will give you everything you need." Needs are simple and basic. Food, water, clothing, shelter. You will notice that the Father has provided all of those things and more for this family.
This morning we will jump into the car and go back to Borger to see my Grandpa. From there, since the weather forecast looks good, we should be able to go on to Grand Junction, Colorado, then to Boise, Idaho. Our last stop will be in Everett on Monday night.
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