Packing To Move

So I've been thinking a lot lately, as I'm packing up my house to move, about what started this journey for me. And I was reminded yesterday of a sunny afternoon last year when I felt in my heart that God was inviting me to spend some time with Him. It was a gorgeous day, and since the kids were napping, I went outside with my Bible and started to read.

I happened upon John 21, which is now one of my favorite passages. This chapter tells a beautiful story that captures Peter's passion for Jesus. It takes place after Jesus has already been crucified and resurrected, and when Peter, in his fishing boat, recognizes Jesus on land, he gets so excited that he jumps in the water and swims to Jesus.

As I sat in the sunshine, I felt a light breeze blow across my face and heard this question in my heart, "Diana, will you get out of the boat? Do you love me that much?"

To me, the 'boat' represents all the things that were familiar to me. Just as the disciples were comfortable with their lives as fishermen, I felt comfortable with my 'ordinary' life as a stay-at-home mom. I like the idea of raising my kids in a small town, going to school activities, spending time as a family in the evenings and on weekends, going on yearly vacations, etc. That was my 'boat'.

Peter's knee-jerk reaction was to jump out of the ordinary as soon as he saw his beloved Master. What would mine be?

As I write, I'm looking around at boxes of stuff that we're packing up to move. We're moving to a rental house, temporarily, before we move to Ireland. There's nothing ordinary about my life right now. I have no idea how long we'll live at our temporary location. I have no idea when we'll move overseas. I don't know when Jeff will quit his job and how we will live with no income. I don't know how long it will take to raise support. I am clueless about the process, the details. I wonder what it will feel like to finally buy that one-way plane ticket for not only Jeff and me, but also for our three kids... What will the schools be like for Hannah, and soon, Cael? What about housing when we get there? How will I ever learn to drive on the other side of the car, on the other side of the road? What if this slow-speaking Southern girl can't understand the rhetoric of the Irish tongue? What if my kids hate it?

All I know is that I see my Master on the shore, figuratively, of Ireland. So I'm jumping out of the boat and swimming with all my might toward the Emerald Isle.