As we start our life in a new home, in a new part of the
country, I reflect on how the Jews must have felt entering the Promised Lands.
Never once did God tell the Israelites it would be easy, rather there were
giants and kingdoms to conquer. Joshua 1:2 starts the adventure into the
Promised Lands:
Since My
servant Moses is now dead, you and the Israelites must prepare to cross over
the Jordan River to enter the land I have given you.
Before they enter, remember they wandered the wilderness for
40 years because the first time they went to enter the people listened to the
scouts in fear about the hurdles. This time they are facing a flood swollen
river, but this time they said we will step in faith. Note the same “giants”
were on the other side of the river they just had faith God would keep his
promise.
Now I am not saying we had to fight giants or cross a flood
swollen river but we did have obstacles when to overcome. Interestingly rains
did take out the road across one of our creeks before we moved in, but it was
calm when we actually took possession. Most of the “giants” we had to deal with
were self-generated. Although the property was “perfect” we did not have
facilities we needed for horses, so the work has begun.
The first giant was moving in, a two bedroom home to house 4
people and guests makes living situations tense. Add onto this the truck we own
that is to move the “extra room” AKA the trailer is broken. And over it all we had
way more stuff than we thought, remember there was a 4 horse trailer full, a
pickup truck with a 10 foot trailer full and a 15 foot U-Haul with a car that
were both full moving into a home that was “move in ready” since we bought the furniture.
The previous owner left a bunch of things including food, so technically we
really needed very little.
The second “battle” has been fixing up the horse facility
since the previous owner did not have them. What seemed simple has done sever
damage to our septic system and took out a water main into the garage. This all
happened before we had completely moved out of the temporary home, so that schedule
was being pushed hard. When the move was complete we had 2 hours to spare
before we had to be out. Through this we still had to rent a storage facility
for temp housing of things, all of which has caused stress.
As I mentions before the initial “sure thing” job I had did
not transpire and I now work part time for a cleaning service doing floors and
toilets. Often it costs me more to drive to the job than I make working, but it
keeps me busy. But my days “off” are filled with hard labor, including yesterday
moving about 2 to 2.5 cords of wood form a stall to open it up for one of the
horses. Life is not “easy” by any means. Hence why I think back to Israel
moving into the Promised Land since it was in no way “easy” for them either.
They did not have it “handed to them on a silver platter” but rather had to
work had to earn it and work hard to maintain it.
The key to this experience is God never said life
would be easy and even when you get what you want you still have to milk the
cow, shovel their poo, feed them and fight the bees to get the honey!! Sure paradise
may sound “easy” but it is in no way that at all!! Nor was life every meant to
be.