Moving is not easy for anyone. It’s a physically, emotionally and spiritually draining process to go through. Lucky for you, I’ve been through the process multiple times, both locally and cross-country, so I have some tips to make your next move easy on your mind, body and spirit.
I’m 24 years old and for 22 of those years, I lived up in the great white north of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. All the way through my college years, I lived within the same bubble but I felt that God was pulling me somewhere else. My wife and I used to travel to Florida on trips all the time while we were dating and simply fell in love with everything it had to offer: beaches, theme parks and warm weather (more importantly, NO SNOW).
My wife was in the same boat—spending her entire life in the same house but was yearning for something new. We did the only thing we knew would help us decide what to do with our next chapter: we prayed. We asked God where His plans would take us next.
For me, packing is always the hardest part of the move. Not only because it takes so much time and because every time you try to fill a box it feels like you’re playing Tetris on the hardest level, but because you dig up memories. You find things you forgot were buried in the depths of the closet or under twenty years’ worth of other things in the basement. Those were the moments where I felt like I was leaving my whole life behind and making a huge mistake. I was leaving my family, friends and an entire state that I knew like the back of my hand. So what did I do? I asked God if I was making a mistake. You know what He did? He responded loud and clear. He told me to follow my heart and He and everything else that I felt I was leaving behind will follow me and stay with me wherever I go.
He was right.
My wife and I spent our final Christmas Day as Wisconsinites and hit the road the following day, ready to start our new adventure. During the drive down to beautiful Florida, I kept hearing all my childhood memories rattling around in the back of the truck. That’s how the thoughts in my brain felt—bouncing around all over the place, not being able to stay still.
When we finally arrived at our new home, I felt out of place. Not only did I feel far from home but I felt far from God. I couldn’t find Him in a place where I felt lost. However, my wife reminded me of a Scripture that we had heard at church just weeks before moving. Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Right then and there, I knew that whatever big changes I make in my life, no matter where in the world I go, God will find me and my faith will always be rooted wherever I stand. I realized that when the Lord asks you to move, He is offering you the chance to pursue the life He has planned and the opportunity to refine your lives to become the children of God that we’re meant to be.
If you had asked me three years ago where in the world I thought I would be, I never would have said Florida. God is amazing that way. When you give Him control, He takes your hand and leads you where you need to go. And I can say with 100% confidence that I feel like I am exactly where I was meant to be: Home.
Home is where you plant the roots of your faith and by letting God take control, He can help you plant them anywhere.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6). {eoa}
Jacob Putzer works as the social media coordinator here at Christian Care Ministry/Medi-Share. He recently relocated to Florida after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with degrees in both marketing and economics and is currently working on attaining his MBA from Florida International University. In his free time, you can find Jacob with his wife at Disney World, Sea World or Universal theme parks, on the golf course or playing music.
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