Psalm 4:8 I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

I’ve been approached by many these past weeks. They ask, “Are you getting excited about your move?” That question is complex. Being someone who has enjoyed travel and change over the years I recognize a certain expectancy stirring within me. Along with this excitement comes so much uncertainty.

I worked as an obstetrics nurse for many years. Many moms expected us to minimize their labor pains. Even with the knowledge that a brand-new life was being born they still longed to have the pain go away. 

Let’s face it none of us like pain. Many of my patients had already made the decision to receive an epidural. An epidural is a procedure injecting a local anesthetic into the space around the spinal nerve in the lower back.  For some this procedure helped to minimize the pains of labor. For others it did not provide the anticipated effect and actually prolonged their labor intensifying the pain. 

Can we see what’s being birthed before the pain ceases? Can we find hope in the midst of our distress? 

Anyone who has experienced labor knows that the second stage of labor when the baby comes into this world is the most intense. We would check our patients progress often. Shouts of I can see its head would bring joy to mom in the midst of her pain. Expectancy of her baby’s arrival sustained her during the intensity of the final pushes. She understood what the pain was giving birth to.

Do we comprehend the miracle being birthed within us in the midst of our pain? So often we look for our anesthesia hoping to minimize the pain. Are we focused on the pain or the new life that God is birthing? 

It never mattered how much pain was experienced during labor. The moment their new little one arrived mom’s pain was turned to joy. At times we’d place baby on Mom’s breast. Its cries brought joy to all in the room. Mom would gaze upon this precious bundle and proclaim, he/she, is perfect. 

God brings His perfection out of our deep and agonizing pain. Do we believe this in the midst of our labor?

Some of the moving pains I have felt are:

1. Endless days of sorting and packing.
2. Deciding what goes where and who gets what.
3. Coordinating the delivery or pick up of items.
4. Muscle pain in my neck due to loading and unloading two moving trucks to date. (One to go)
5. Coordinating the transfer of content from our Florida home to our Pennsylvania house.
6. Saying good-bye to some of the closest relationships I have ever experienced.

Some of the pain felt is physical pain and some is emotional. Do we attach to the pain or do we hold onto God’s promises to us?

I have found that through worship and gratitude my brain is able to embrace what God is doing in the midst of the pain. As I worship and say thank you Jesus, I begin compiling my list.

The Joy of Moving:

1. This move provides opportunity for us to see God perform miracles.
2. We anxiously anticipate the new life God is birthing in the midst of our moving pains.
3. We comprehend the might of God even in our weakness.

In 2018 God gave me a verse. In 2019 I delight knowing that God knew His plan. This is His promise to us in the midst of our uncertainty.

Isaiah 43:18-19 Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing, Now it springs forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road it the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

When our journey seems to be taking us to where we have experienced pain and sorrow in our past, do we trust God and listen to His voice? Do we anticipate streams of His goodness where we once experienced desert? Do we understand that He has made roads where we wandered in the wilderness? In the midst of our uncertainty do we place our trust in God who deeply loves us. 

What moving pains are you experiencing today? What truth has God given you to hold onto during the stages of labor?