16 Days Left

Alright, it finally just hit.

Do you realize we are moving to Guatemala?  

No, like really moving to Guatemala.  Like, selling all our stuff, quiting our jobs, and taking our kids to Guatemala.

You know, this whole journey has been very odd.  I find myself getting upset over things that don’t seem like they should be that important, and sometimes I want to hang on to things that don’t really matter.

I used to have a small collection of NASCAR cars and mini baseball stadiums.  Last year when we had a garage sale I sold them.  This was a collection that I had worked on for a number of years.  But, they are gone to other loving homes now.  That was a hard day.  It was kind of like taking part of my identity away.  I was sad for a little bit, and then I realized He has called me to something more important.  So, that part of my identity is now filled with Him.

There have been so many of those moments over the last year.  They are too numerous to mention, and mostly I forgot about them, because in the grand scheme of things they don’t matter.

When I am greeted in heaven by Jesus I do not believe he is going to ask if I enjoyed my NASCAR collection, or say that He is proud of me for getting that mint condition Kyle Busch collector car.

He is going to ask, "Did you feed the poor?  Did you tell people the good news?  Did you love everyone, including the unlovable?"

 I am hoping to be able to say, "YES!"

So, in sixteen days, my family and I will be leaving for Guatemala.  Even if we come back and live “normal” lives in two years, we will never be the same.  I will never get this job back. I will never get the house back that I love so much. I will never be able to get the stuff back that is part of my identity here.

Instead my identity will only grow stronger in Him, and that will lead to a stronger “YES!” in heaven.

Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV)
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’