Moving On Up
When you consider the four Conlees, we’ve collectively notched up nine moves since March. COVID, fellowships, internships, regular relocating, and did I mention COVID(?!!), have made it a beast. Our son accomplished four of those moves on his own (#momguilt), but the other five involved me.Last week, as I helped Annika complete her fourth move, I had this thought: Moving is a lot like sin. 😊 Here are 3 reasons why…
1. It looks small, but it never is.Whether we’re moving a 3-bedroom house or a 1-bedroom apartment, it’s so easy to underestimate how much effort it’s going to take to move. Annika literally spent 11 weeks in an apartment with only a blow-up mattress, a 6’ table, and five chairs. I was sure we’d knock moving out in a few hours, but it still took 100 trips up and down stairs to get it all packed into two cars.We all have junk.
2. Friends make the difference in victory.We all need help to be victorious.If you’ve ever helped a friend move, you truly are a hero. Somewhere along the way, I’ve lost my resistance to ask for help. Truth is, I not only needed the physical help, but I needed the emotional help. After packing a few dozen boxes, your eyes glaze over and you’re certain you’ll never finish. It’s amazing what happens when someone who loves you – but who is not emotionally attached to your stuff – comes along. Having someone else around helps you focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by other things.
3. Broom-clean is necessary.“Broom-clean” is a little real-estate term that seems harmless. Broom-clean sounds much better than a white-glove inspection, but after you’ve loaded all your stuff, even broom-clean seems like a nightmare. Let’s face it, it feels much more important (aka “fun”) to go set up the new place rather than clean out the nooks and crannies of the old. However, although you do want to look forward, you still need to take care of the old. It’s a part of life. But rest assured that you don’t have to get the “old” perfect.
Obviously, I’m having a little fun, but I think the analogy holds. When it comes to our sin, we must be careful not to minimize it. If we minimize it, we delay the inevitable and don’t make a true plan to clean it up. We also need to help ourselves by allowing someone to come alongside us and help us keep going until we’ve fully dealt with our sin. Now, this is where the analogy breaks down. We generally always have to finish a move in a specific window of time… but as much as we can start dealing with our sin with great intentions, there’s never that same urgency to make us follow through. We must put down our pride, let a friend know our struggle, and articulate what steps we’re going to take to have victory, so they can check on our progress along the way. And if they’re a really good friend, they may even help you with the final walk-through to make sure you’re broom-clean of your old sin, so you can truly enjoy your new place.Here’s to no more boxes, tape, dollies, Sharpies, or storage units for a while… but if you know there’s something in your life that doesn’t please the Lord, it’s time to do some moving!