Sometimes I miss my childhood home. It was a simple three-bedroom home with a carport and an outside entrance to the laundry room. The backyard magically transformed itself into a kickball stadium, Olympic gymnastics arena and a space for hammock naptime. I had friends that lived a few doors down and just around the corner. Saturdays were filled with driveway basketball tournaments and football games. This was the home where I watched old episodes of “The Rifleman” and was first able to reach the top of the refrigerator. It was a familiar place and when it came time to move from this home I had mixed feelings about leaving. I was excited to see what was next but I also lost that sense of safety and security that came with what was already known. 

In a similar way, the people of Israel found themselves in a place where they had experienced the presence of God. This place was good because it had provided an experience full of promise and acceptance. They knew this place. It had become familiar and I’m sure it felt safe, or at least dependable. God, however, had a different message for them. “You have stayed long enough at this mountain” (1:6, NASB). It was time to move. It was time to see what was ahead. It was time to advance toward the manifestation of his great promise. To stay would be to stop growing, learning and seeing the promises of God unfold in the majestic ways he intended.

If I had never left my childhood home, I’m not sure I would ever have experienced the colorful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the taste of bratwurst at a Chicago White Sox game, or the thundering rodeo in Fort Worth, Texas. If I had never left that home, who knows the number of wonderful friendships I would have missed out on. Most of all, I would not have seen God walk me through each and every day with his grace and love through previously unknown territory. 

Lord, help me not to fear change in my life but to approach it as a new opportunity for love and growth. Amen.

Rev. Christopher Hall, Jacksonville, Fla.

Extended Scripture: Deuteronomy 1–2