I mentioned in previous posts that moving is (almost) an
annual event for me. However, let it be known that this event is not always
initiated by me. For the most part, I’ve moved to stay with people I like, not
because I have some odd obsession with moving. My friends move, I move. They don’t move, I (usually) don’t move
either.
I am moving again in March. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you
read that correctly. But wait, there’s more! This will be a move unlike any
that I have ever done in the past! It is a work move! My company will be
shifting to a new building, so I get to keep my job (yay!) and go to a
different building.
I shouldn’t be so excited.
The main thing I have learned from moving (and this is why I
am excited) is because the God gives a free attitude adjustment with every
major life change (moving included). No joke.
At first, any move is a little exciting. I enter the
honeymoon phase. Whether I am up-sizing or downsizing, the move is usually
something I initiate (even if I were to get kicked out, I initiated moving by
choosing to break a rule or failing to pay). If I choose to stay with my peeps,
then I must move – cue song/see above.
Then comes the reality of it all. There are too many people
and not enough boxes. There is too much stuff, and not enough days to cram the
stuff into boxes. There is too much talking, and not enough doing.
Anger is welling up.
I don’t care how much of an optimist you are. Your character
will be tested.
Someone scratches my chest of drawers. “No problem!” I say
with a grin. “I’m just happy you’re helping me move!”
Then comes the point in the day, week, month of the moving
marathon in which everyone involved is tired, hungry, slightly dehydrated, and
sore. Work gets really sloppy. Manners go out the window. Furniture continues
to get scratched and broken. I just need a 15 minute break to be alone, stretch
my back, drink water, and did I mention to be alone? Just 15 minutes.
The answer is no.
That is the point at which Allie has some tough decisions to
make. Is integrity just a buzzword I hear at work all the time? Seriously. ALL
the TIME! Or is integrity really my insides matching my outsides? What I want
to say is, “Burn it all! Just burn it all! Who needs chairs anyway? I don’t
need a bed! I’ll just have to move it again next year.” What I am learning to
say is…nothing. Just nothing. Complaining is contagious, and I don’t want to
start it.
Yes, venting can be helpful at times. Other times, it
spirals out of control and sends defeat deep into the hearts of everyone
involved in the move.
So in this upcoming move, I am hoping my attitude will pass
the test. I’m not the judge of a passing grade, but God gave me a really
awesome gift named Holy Spirit to help me stay on the right path. Sometimes, He
tells me to hold my tongue, just be still. Other times, He encourages me to
speak (usually when I don’t want to speak.)
The whole purpose is to hone my character. God wants my
heart. He wants it to be right, so I’m willing to move one more time.
I’m hoping I’ll appreciate heaven more once I get there,
knowing I am finally home. HOME. Home. Home. En casa.
