Location, Location, Location

 

It’s OVER! The move is done. After 24 years in our home in the city of Reading, PA we’ve moved the suburbs. The change of location from city to suburbs is certainly new for us but there are more challenges to be faced.

First is the house. We have downsized a bit (see “Father Forgive Me for I Have Packed”). Finding the proper place for all the stuff we did bring with us is the first challenge. There may need to be more purging, this is not a bad thing.

Then, there’s the new area to get used to. Last night I went to a grocery store in the same chain as the one I’ve shopped in for many years. The suburbs are very different, the prices are higher. I’ll be looking for a new grocery store. This will not be fun for me.

But, believe it or not the hardest thing for my husband and me is telling people where we’ve moved. You see, the particular suburb that we’ve moved to has a reputation. When we say the name a certain image comes to the minds of our friends – it’s an image we don’t want and don’t qualify for. The image is of wealth and status.

As I said we’ve downsized and even given up some elegance in our city Victorian but when people hear where we’ve moved we think that they will think of us in a way we’ve never wanted. We don’t know if they think that way – though some have joked about whether or not they’ll still be permitted to come and visit us. We presume because of the reputation that they will include us in the stereotype.

Interestingly, we hated it when people stereotyped us as “ghetto dwellers” or our neighborhood as violent because it was in the city. Now we see that we were the ones who used the stereotype of our new neighborhood against our friends and relatives who have moved here before us. Maybe that’s the most embarrassing part. We have used it to tease others. We never thought we were serious but we’re seeing the sinfulness of our thoughts.

One of the most misquoted verses in the Bible may be appropriate for our current situation: Matthew 7: 1 – 5 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.So, we’ll have to face our friends and families and tell them where we’ve moved. The good news is that the decision was made with prayer. The Lord closed many doors on many houses for us before He opened this one. We know we’re where He has led us and so we know that it will be a good fit for us. We just have to get over ourselves and tell people.

The best part of the move so far is that in spite of the location and reputation our neighbors have been kind, down to earth, and welcoming. No arrogance has been evident except our own in not wanting the reputation of the location where God has placed us.

God has humbled us by bringing us to this new location. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. We look forward to His purpose for us here.

What changes has God wanted to make in your life that you are resisting? How will you surrender to His purpose for you in whatever location He has placed you?