Leaving for Israel--September 8, 2009

We're sitting in the Roy Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City waiting to board for the flight to Washington/Dulles. I am a bit apalled at all the luggage piled on the luggage cart, between the three of us there are six bags, one harp and an assortment of carry-on bags. Whew! We are staying for just short of three months and there is a seasonal weather change to think about and we are bringing camping things with us but... I must admit I am embarassed! And then as I was sitting here being embarassed about how we would look and the trouble all this stuff may cause when we are picked up at the Tel Aviv airport and our other travels, The Father dropped this thought into my mind; This is it - all you have is what you have with you. And then this thought expanded to, look what you have left and I began to think back over the last seven years. We moved from a 2200 sq.ft home to live in a 29 foot 5th wheel and a 36' x 48' barn. On that move we packed up everything and then began accumulating more things with the vision in mind of establishing a community on our ten plus acres of property. Two years ago Father began impressing our hearts to down-size, so I began to go through boxes that were still packed from the move we had done 5 years previous. A lot of things went to thrift stores and the dump. We actually carved out some space in the barn to have it usable for more than storage! Several months later Father gave us an assignment to make a proclamation in the capitols of the United States. We thought that we might not come back to California from that assignment so we went through another clearing out. When we left in a 32' motorhome with the stuff that we wanted to keep that August I believed that I could truly walk away from everything that was left behind. So many loads went to the dump and the Salvation Army, but we did end up coming back to California and we set up housekeeping on the property through the winter. In February of 2009, The Father started speaking to us about living like a bedouin and then in May the Word came to "pack". Again more trips to the dump and Salvation Army as we sorted through and let go yet again. This time our down-sizing was to a 5'x10' enclosed utility trailer pulled by our truck. So now as we are on our way to Israel we have down-sized yet again to two bags that weigh exactly (according to the airport scales) 50 pounds each. Can we live with what we have if this happens to be the trip that we don't come home from? It's a question worth pondering. And if circumstances required an even further down-size...? The Apostle Paul reports to us that everyday he beat his body into submission that after everything he might finish the race and win the prize. After everything is said and done - have we won the race to the finish line or have our entaglements with Babylon caused us to look back like Lot's wife and perish?
We are learning to live on a lot less than what we used to have and if The Father asks us for even more we can and hopefully will do that too. We must realize the "prize" Paul was referring to is so far greater than absolutely anything else and in light of that Reality the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the Light of His glory and grace!.
Before anybody begins thinking that we're not planning on coming back we do have return tickets for the week of Thanksgiving. Our plan is to celebrate Thanksgiving with our children, but YHVH alone knows the whole plan and we as His bond-slaves put His needs, wants and desires ahead of our own. Our prayer is that His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven - right here in this place in our life and in yours.
Please remember that ideas and opinions expressed on this blog page are ours and how YHVH is speaking and leading us. What He does with us may not neessarily apply to you. Please seek Him for direction and counsel as to what He would have you do in and with and through your life.