Where your heart is….
They told me that selling up and physically moving to a new home was stressful. In fact, they said the stress factor could be equated with something like divorce! I didn't really believe that comparison but, whether it's true or not, there is no doubt that physically moving one's goods and chattels is dynamically stressful.
Most events in life seem to hold parables and lessons that, if heeded, help us develop a more balanced perspective on life. Our relocation last month has proven to be a time in which I have been stressed myself and, no doubt, I have been a stressor for others! So what have I learned or, more accurately, what am I learning through this living parable?
I have learned that I am not always a patient man. I suspect that this is an issue of control. There were numerous times in that moving process when I was not able to control or, at least, influence the actions and timetables of other people who were either buying our former house, looking after legal aspects, moving our furniture or whatever.
I have learned that I don't need anywhere near the amount of "stuff" I have accumulated over the years in order to live a fulfilling life. Every time I switch on the television or open a newspaper, I am told about things that I just must have if my life is to be complete. As I considered the amount of "stuff" that needed to be boxed, I found things that I forgot that I had and/or that I hadn't used for years. It occurred to me that maybe I had believed those advertisements more than I had realised.
I have learned that I am much more focused on and anchored to this world than I had realised or that is good for my spiritual life – if that "stuff" is any indicator. So, the words of Col 3:1-3 come as a challenge to me at this stage of the journey.
