MOVING... into a new season!

I lived in the same house for most of my growing up years. From the age of six months until the day that I left home, I had the same room in the same house on the same street. So, when I talk to people who tell me that they moved house six times during their childhood, or that they went to eight different schools, I wonder what it must have been like to pack your stuff into boxes and move to a new place so often.  

I lived in three different houses during my first eighteen months here in Spain, and I remember that it gave me the feeling of "camping," rather than settling into a new nation.  I took great comfort in a verse at the beginning of Psalm 90, which says, "Lord, you have always been our home." Spain began to feel like home once I moved to a more permanent place and could finally unpack all those suitcases, instead of keeping half my stuff under the bed!

On the other hand, the people who tell you of all the times they moved house are usually speaking about moving within the same nation. Just like my early Malaga experience, you pack all your stuff into boxes and suitcases, and you make several trips in the car; or you load your furniture into a removal van and you drive a few hours to another part of the country. The few times in my life that I've had a major move, it's involved leaving everything behind and moving to a completely new nation or continent.

I thought of 1990, when a serious lung illness prompted me to move back to Scotland from Austria, leaving behind all the bedroom furniture that I'd recently bought for my flat in Vienna. Then, after several years of living in Paisley, it was time for another big move, as I packed my first suitcase and headed down to South Africa. Nearly fifteen years in Cape Town was long enough for me to gather new belongings, build a house, get my first car, buy new furniture, get a dog...
But you can't pack more than fourteen years of your life into a twenty kilo suitcase, and so relocating back to Europe in 2007 meant once again that I left all my furniture and other belongings behind.

In 2008, when I made the decision to move to Spain, I remember that feeling of having to "start all over again." Of course, all of our things are "God's stuff," anyway. He provided them, and so they basically belong to Him. If we have to leave things behind when we move in obedience to His prompting, we can have confidence that He will once again provide all that we'll need in our new location. Just before my move to Alhaurín, when I was contemplating the prospect of having to start getting furniture, kitchen utensils and other household things again, God spoke to me through a promise in Deuteronomy 6:11 - the part where He tells the Israelites that they are going to "live in houses filled with good things that you did not provide for yourself."

And that is exactly what has happened during these few years that I've lived in Spain. If you've followed this blog for a long time, you might remember the first time it happened (see this post from 2008) when my English flatmate, Sue, decided to bring all her furniture and other stuff from the UK. I actually wrote that post about God's provision when I was praying about my need for a vehicle... and only six or seven months later, I was able to buy my little blue car which has served me so well over the past four years.

When Sue returned to England, I moved in with Ada and Gabriela in their little flat, and once again found myself living in a home full of furniture that I hadn't had to provide for myself. Then we moved together to the house that we've been living in for the past three years and - although we officially rent it "unfurnished" - the owner had left behind some tables and chairs that were very useful to us... and even an office chair which has been wonderful for me during the seasons of the year when I spend long hours working on the computer in preparation for different ministry projects.

Now yet another new season lies ahead. After three and a half years of sharing accommodation with me, Ada and her (now teenage) daughter will be moving to a flat of their own at the end of this month. This may mean that she will be able to get housing benefits as a single parent - something that wasn't really possible when I was sharing the house and was unable to prove a regular monthly income.

If at all possible, I'd like to stay in this house - instead of having to pack up my stuff (and my cats) and move yet again to a smaller place. However, in order to do that, I'm trusting for God's provision in different ways for the new season. First of all, I'm trusting for wisdom - that I would know God's solution for my housing needs in the months and years ahead.  If that solution is that I continue to stay in this house, I will be trusting for another friend or colleague to share the accommodation and the rental with me. (I wouldn't be able to pay the monthly rent on my own.) And thirdly, as Ada takes her furniture with her to their new place, I'll be entering a season where I'm no longer living in a house filled with someone else's furniture. Perhaps this will be the season where I will need to see provision of some furniture of my own again.

So I'm moving.... and even though I hope I won't be moving geographically, I know that I'm moving into a different season of God's provision for my life and ministry here in Spain. Thanks so much for your prayers during this transition time.