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bigmike

Numbers 14:4 (LSB) 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
I have never been to Egypt. But recently I felt compelled to go back there; back to a place I have never been.
Let me explain.
A little over 3 ½ years ago, at God’s prompting, we moved from RI to NC.
We didn’t know exactly why we were to move. We just knew it was so.
And we obeyed, selling most of what we owned, packing up what little remained, and driving 750 miles to our new home in a place we did not know.
We had lived in RI for a long time. In fact, Pastor Ellie was born there in the town where we lived. It was her forever home.
For me, I had lived there since 1975; more than 45 years.
We had built our lives together right there in the smallest state, in a tiny town.
And then we left. We pulled out of our garage at 3:50 AM one morning and never looked back.
We knew it was a big move. But we didn’t comprehend how big. In fact, it would take a long time until we truly comprehended the magnitude of what we did.
In building our lives there, our roots had grown very deep.
We had created a way of life that involved people, places, and activities; things we were intimately familiar with and very comfortable doing.
It is safe to say we have many great memories there.
So, as we settled into our new place in NC, we went through a variety of emotions; joy, excitement, sorrow, loneliness, and a feeling of great loss.
Leaving behind those 40+ years' worth of familiarity left a gaping hole in us in ways that we had not foreseen.
Even now, after more than 3 ½ years, I have struggled with this from time to time.
And recently, I almost went back to Egypt, to do some of the things I was so intimately familiar with.
The door was opened for me. But I chose not to go back.
I recognized it for what it was; a step backwards to try to hold onto what was gone.
I have shared this, not to draw attention to myself, or to solicit sympathy.
I shared it with the hope that it might help someone who is wrestling with the same thing; facing the same struggle.
Don’t go back to Egypt. It’s not worth it. Doing so only prolongs the struggle. And it puts the chains back on us that God broke for us when He told us to leave where we had grown so comfortable.
Leave Egypt where it is; in the past. And look only forward to what God is doing in the new land that He has brought you to.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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