Moving. and being Moved.

Moving stinks. Can I get an amen?

In the last week we 

cleaned/purged/packed/moved/stored/unpacked/organized & reorganized 

until we were blue in the face. And still...boxes remain. 

I didn't feel like we had too much stuff- until I had to fit all of it into boxes and a 10x13 storage room! It is amazing how much stuff we accumulate, and then don't really need/use, but still can't really get rid of.  

The process has been utterly exhausting, and has left me feeling, at times, like a nomad.  

But this is just a season.

We decided to move in with my in laws for a time while Sean is in these beginning stages of starting his new business.  He has such an incredible vision for it, and one we both feel that the Lord has given him, and has directed for this time.  Luckily for me, my in laws are amazing.  I have heard stories about in laws that might make you shutter.  Mine are awesome.  They are so loving and generous, just absolutely sweet, wonderful people.

But it is still an adjustment.

Obviously, we are a family of 4 that is used to our little family unit, our routine; and they are used to theirs. I think we are all beginning to adjust though.  Jack is happy as a clam. He has lots of room to play, a beautiful backyard to run around in [and Lord knows that boys needs to run!] and he loves having his Grandma and Grandpa around to play with him! Claire has made her transition into her crib, but is massively teething- so the sleeping situation has been rough.  I am trying to navigate my way around a kitchen that is stocked with things that aren't mine, but other than that, we are starting to feel settled.

July is always a busy month for us anyway- we have 6 birthdays, lots of other events and usually our trip to Hume Lake squeezed in there too. [We leave Saturday, and I cannot wait! A week of sitting by the lake, milkshake in hand...yes please!]

Other than that, I have been reading in Deuteronomy lately and there is a theme that keeps popping up: fearing the Lord.  This is something that the Lord has really been teaching me lately.  Even though I "grew up" in the church and went through Christian school, this was never really taught, which is baffling because it is so fundamental, and so vital to our relationship with the Lord and to our understanding of blessings that the Lord has in store for us.

 The Israelites turned from the Lord countless times; forgetting what He had done for them and for their fathers before them, and neglecting to fear the Almighty God who graciously and lovingly chose them.  If we want to experience the tremendous blessings that God has for us, we should be moved by our fear of the Lord into an attitude obedience to Him.  Obey Him because we fear Him? That doesn't sound like a loving, gracious God...you say.  But just as a child must respect the authority of his parents, in part because of a fear of their position and power and influence over life; so should we honor and respect and fear the power that Almighty God has in our lives.  I believe it is something that is so lacking in our society today, which is why we are so able to justify bad behavior.  If we as believers, are committed to seeking God, we will only find ourselves more firmly planted- face down in awe and reverence before the One who delivers us from the desert and into the promised land of abundant blessing.

Source: etsy.com via Mandy on Pinterest

"And now O Israel what does the Lord ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in al His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today."

Deuteronomy 10:12-13