Don’t Miss It
For the past four months my wife and I have been living with our kids while we are between houses. In the summer we stowed most of our belongings in a couple of storage pods and loaded the remaining essentials onto a moving van.
As we considered what we would need and what we could do without; practicality took precedence. Most things were deemed nonessential, which is a lesson in itself.
A prime consideration was clothes: summer clothes, fall clothes, and winter clothes. Though half of my clothes are in storage, I’ve mostly forgotten about them and don’t miss what I can’t access.
I also kept out what we needed for work, but not much else. I estimate about 95% of our belongings are presently stashed in some climate controlled warehouse.
When making this transition, my initial impulse was to seek to subsist during this season of in between. But even though this is a temporary situation, I can’t put life on hold just because I lack a permanent place to live.
Sharing a house with another couple (and their three pets) required some adjustments; not having all our stuff resulted in some sacrifices. But those were minor. Things are working out great, even better than we could have hoped.
As we wind down this phase in our lives, I look forward to being in our own house. I also know I’ll miss living with family. Life today is good; life tomorrow will be good, too.
I’ve seen people so focused on what was ahead, that they dismissed the present. I’ve also seen people so living for today, that they disregarded tomorrow.
I think many Christians also make one of these two errors: so focused on a future in heaven that they miss living on earth now or so fixated on life today that they forget eternity is ahead.
We are wise to do both.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.