A Christmas Devotion: Leaving Can Be Rewarding

 If you like to explore, then you will relate to the theme of this blog:   Leaving can be rewarding.
Staying versus leaving is a decision that we, along with many of our friends, have faced through the years.  We have a propensity or a disposition to behave in a certain way; that is, we think leaving can be rewarding.

Realistically, leaving is a lot of work, and it usually arrives in one of two ways:  we think of it or someone else thinks of it for us.  Once that is behind us, we either start packing because leaving is exciting or persuasion squeezes us to go along to get along.  Interestingly enough, there are busy moving times, which include the summer months or during the holiday season.  Surprisingly, we have several close friends who recently have made the decision to move during this busy holiday season.  One family moved to the East coast and the other to the West coast. They are going with the attitude that leaving can be rewarding.  Their Let's Explore mannerism carried them through all the stages of  relocation.  We all agreed, however, that whether its a short-term or a long-term commitment, leaving has its rewards.  Short-term commitments are those suitcase vacations, our Mission Corps assignments, or family visits where leaving may be more exciting than arriving...gulp!  Long-term commitments are moving-van worthy and include corporation transfers, new jobs, or let's-try-this-city-for-a-while mentality (we have friends who live like this!)

During this Christmas season, we think of One who made a move from heaven to earth.  Jesus knew from the beginning of time that leaving heaven would be rewarding.  His move wasn't a suitcase commitment.  What could "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us..." have packed anyway?  The idea for His move fell into the company of the Trinity, and thankfully, He did not go along to get along or to get alone.  Persuasion did not coerce Him.  He moved because He knew that leaving would be rewarding.   He didn't need a moving van, so He didn't have to consider ensuing contracts, moving estimates, paperwork, or costs based on distance or weight.  He didn't need to pack boxes or buy protection against loss or damaged goods.  No one had to track His move or estimate His delivery date.  The Bible records that He did have to consider the price He would pay and the method of payment;  yet, He still left heaven. And we still celebrate today because in His infinite wisdom and love, He knew that leaving would be rewarding.  We see manager scenes only during the Christmas season when believers honor His move.   However, the crosses that we see in every country in the world today powerfully remind us that He moved from heaven to earth to move heaven and earth for us.

Merry Christmas everyone!
Let's celebrate His decision to move!

Let's move into the New Year and Let's Go Places and Let's Explore!

Keep Looking Up,
J:m and L:nda

Stay the Course

IKEA is a fun home store to visit.  Have you ever been there?  If so, then you know that this jaunt can be both exhilarating and exhausting. Chicago has one of the largest stores with 450,000 square-feet of browsing exercise. Not to be outdone, Burbank, California thought their IKEA was too small, so they are planning a jumbo 470,000-square-foot store. That is equal to eight football fields of sheer treasure-hunting pleasure.  Our friends in St. Louis look forward to an IKEA moving into their neighborhood in the near future. It will offer them a shopper's paradise of 380,000 square-feet.  Once inside these gargantuan storehouses, families could scatter!  IKEA anticipated such confusion and disorientation, so they painted prominent, heavy white arrows inside colossal blue circles to help shoppers stay the course.  Now, people won't scatter.

Geese flying in a V formation is an impressive sight.  Have you ever seen them?  Who are those brave ones who take turns flying point and confidently lead those behind them to water, to land, to rest and to destination?  Did you know that that V formation affords them peripheral vision of each other which offers group protection in case one is persuaded to wander?  Geese don't scatter.  They follow their homing instincts, actually using the geography of the land to guide them to their intended address.  There is no grand white arrow on a blue ball to escort them.  Nature steers them safely home because they stayed the course.

Marathons are challenging.  Have you ever run one?  It's a 26.2 mile course that has been accurately measured down to its concluding inch. Marathon courses are distinct, well-defined, unobstructed routes that millions of runners fully trust from the glorious start to the victorious finish line.  Even if you are last and there is no one out in front for you to follow, orange cones, painted white arrows and friendly volunteers steer you toward your destination.  Marathoners don't scatter.  They stay the course


The Bible.  Do you have one?  It is the White Arrow that introduces us to thousands of years of treasure.  God anticipated confused, disoriented, rootless wanderers, so He gave us His Word to confidently guide us to water, to land, to rest, to final destination. Those who read it now are the V formation with the circumferential vision that offers encouragement and protection for both the believer and the seeker.  It has been accurately measured  from its glorious start to our last foot fall.  Even if you are last and there is no one out in front for you to follow, you are not alone if you have the Holy Bible.  Christmas season is the time believers celebrate the course that began with the birth of our Savior.  Step onto this course that has already been measured for you.  Forget scattering!   Stay the course in order to arrive at the intended address.



Wishing you heavenly homing instincts this Christmas season and forever!

Keep Looking Up....and thank you for reading our Blog!
J:m and L:nda