Wrecked

"There is freedom in new beginnings..." As the brother-in-laws and I congregated in James' (the best brother-in-law a man could ask for) garage, the goodbye cries were in full effect directly in the kitchen next to us.  No one wanted to interrupt the sisters from there final moments together, but after a while, Hank (lead Boston church planter of Reunion Church) went in to lay down the heavy.  "It's time to go." For the record, Hank really didn't have to say a word, the sisters eventually came out.

It's difficult to say goodbye.

This week was extra difficult. This was the first week Wendy and I and the girls have lived in an almost empty house, and boy did it feel strange.  Mom commented the other day that even our phone conversations sounded echoey!  So the moment finally came...some of you have experienced it before.  I happened to be upstairs in our oldest daughters room when the moment occurred.  Every emotion hit me all at once...I wept like a child.  Wendy heard me and came into the room.  She didn't even have to ask, she knew.  Wendy had experienced her moment just the day before.

Starting over is hard, the easy button just doesn't exist.  I know it's just a house...but it's my house.  This is the house that Lucy took her first step in.  This is the house that Annie sang her first song in.  This is the house that Emma found Jesus in.  This is the house that Wendy and I started over again in.  This house, 21 East Lake Estates has real meaning to us, it is and will ever be a part of our story.

But that's just it, it's just a part.  This house will one day fall apart, or be torn down for the next generation to build afresh.  It will not stand the test of time, and will certainly not last forever.  But for now, new memories will be made here, happy ones and sad.  Children will celebrate birthdays, and people will grow older. Yes, we will miss this sanctuary we've called our home for nearly 6 years.

If I could give you one word to describe "my moment" it would be WRECKED.  My life feels wrecked.  When you give God complete control, your life will be wrecked.  A part of me so desperately desires normality, to return back to the way things used to be.  But then something inside reminds me of how far we have come to get to where we are today.  If you've ever went on a run before, you know that looking behind isn't something our bodies or minds were designed to do.  Looking behind while running causes dizziness after a while, and if your not careful can lead to a good spill or as a buddy of mine likes to call it, "a lip skid".  Lip skids are painful, they hurt and usually happen when your not paying attention or have a lack of focus.  When God wrecks your life, it's easy to look back and wish He hadn't.  Looking back causes doubt, the kind of doubt that makes you question your God and His plan...and that's OK, God understands.  Jesus understands.  He questioned his father on what surely must have been the longest night of his life.  Jesus wrecked the world when he came down and followed His fathers plan.  Jesus' wreckage became our salvation.

Kudos to Jeff Goins, the author of the new book "Wrecked".  If you are looking for inspiration and encouragement while stepping out in faith, I would highly recommend it.