We played a prank on our oldest daughter last April Fool’s Day. She has always been adamant about not wanting us ever to move from her childhood home, so we thought what better joke than to put a “For Sale” sign in front of our house on April Fool’s Day. After walking by the sign a couple of times that morning, she finally caught on. Immediately, she became distraught at the thought of moving.
Don’t worry. We let her off the hook within seconds! But it was a fun prank that made for good storytelling that week.
Little did we know that the joke would be on us. During this same period, we had been looking at new schools for our three girls. As the month of April ended, we realized that in order to send them to the school God was calling them to, we were going to have to move some “mountains” in our life. What started as a practical joke quickly became our new reality. We were going to have to sell our house.
To say this move was a shock to my overtired mommy system is an understatement. I was working full time, homeschooling my girls and serving at church. How was I going to add cleaning out closets, emptying cabinets, and packing boxes to my “to do” list?
As women, we seem to do the impossible when there seems to be no fuel left in the tank. Grumbling and feeling a hint of sadness, I laced up my tennis shoes and began the exhausting trips up and down our stairs. As I threw away cobweb-covered stuff and emptied junk drawers, I realized I could keep looking back on what was or I could change my perspective toward the new possibilities of this move. God is faithful and good. It was time to trust Him with anxious anticipation of the good that would come from this transition.
While it was excruciating at times to let go of the old, we quickly felt God’s blessings on our obedience to follow His path for our family. As our movers began unloading furnishings into our new house, we had our first visit from our new neighbors. They came to see if we had any daughters for their daughter to play with, so you can imagine their delight when we told them that we have three!
As April Fool’s Day comes back around, we, as a family, continue to establish new traditions and holidays to mark a new time in our lives. Our past is not irrelevant. But it’s not something to hold onto. Our hope is in the Lord. The best that He promises is yet to come – a future of unforeseen possibilities, surprises and hidden jewels of life waiting to be uncovered. Had we stayed in the same place and not done the heavy lifting to move where God wanted to plant us, we would have missed out on the best new friends in our sweet new neighborhood. Our girls would have missed out on the new school that they love.
No matter what God asks of you, be ready to be moved. Then be ready to be blessed.
Melissa Lobozzo
Former Southern Field Director
Inspirational