We Won't Be Packing

Last Stop At The Marshfield House

 One of the most difficult LIFE LESSONS we have learned so far is this: "don't put your roots too deep".  It is not a good thing to feel too secure in your home, your job, your community, or any other temporal thing. Everything can change in a moment of time, in a few hours, or overnight.

As we look back, we believe we were too self sufficient. We had a home we loved and had raised our children there. We had good paying jobs that kept us well -- not in massive material wealth, but we were comfortable in our own, simple way. We loved our community and our Church. We lived in Marshfield and figured we would probably die and be buried from there. We were satisfied and comfortable there for 38 years.

I remember when we moved Downeast in 1965. Valerie was eight weeks old when we packed up in Pennsylvania and dragged a Uhaul to a rental in East Machias, where we lived for two months. And then we packed again when we bought the Marshfield house. I hate packing! I remember saying to Wayne, "the next time I move, I want it to be Heaven." I never wanted to pack again. But things changed in 2003 and we found ourselves packing and leaving everything that was familiar to us but each other and our stuff. We left, as I have often said, "kicking and screaming".  But God's plans are always good, even when we don't understand them.

As Christians, we were aware that this world is NOT our home. In reality, we are foreigners here. Jesus will be coming one of these days to take us home. Home? Yes! We are citizens of Heaven. We look forward to THAT moving day and we won't be packing!

The Bible says that while we are on this earth we are ambassadors for Christ -- wow! We Christians represent the King of Kings while we are here. He has given us a beautiful temporary home and we have the responsibility to take care of it. We have a commandment to love our neighbors and to teach them all that Christ has taught us. Since we left Downeast, we have met even MORE friends who are very special to us. We don't despise this world at all -- but we are looking forward to something better.

All Christians are waiting for something better! Let's not forget it. When we face the tough challenges, the grief, the disappointments and the pain of this life, though, it is important for us to put it all into perspective. God is building us into the people He wants us to be. The process is tough at times, but all of this is temporary.  Our primary focus must turn from our circumstances here to the great HOPE of eternity with Christ.

The Bible says to believers in Christ: ". . . we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." From II Corinthians 4 (NKJV)

A modern paraphrase puts it this way: "So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever."

So keep heart!

You aren't a Christian?  Here is the GOOD NEWS to you, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."