Finding balance when home is always on the move

In my experience home has never been a static thing. I grew up in a dynamic environment and rarely had the chance to feel well planted or tied to a place of origin. Maybe this wasn't the ideal situation. Should I strive for something different for my family?

The Designer Life
If any of you have been through similar experiences, or even if you haven't, you know the stress of trying to design your life in such a way that good things will result. It's a confusing, frustrating task that you can never really be certain what will result. There are too many variables. Who knows what mix of the good and bad experiences of our lives shapes us into what we should be. Some of the things I would have chosen to avoid in at the time have made me better today.

This, though, is the point. You may be capable of molding your path to suite your interests and I'm certain many of you could be very successful to that end.

But...should you? 

Colorado calling

As I type Jennifer, Isabelle and I are on our way to Colorado. We are super excited to see some of the best friends anyone could hope to have in life. These are the kind of friends that you want your kids to grow up together; go to every birthday party and soccer game. As close as family. Only one problem: they live over a thousand miles away. It can be frustrating to feel like you live and work in one place but your life, latest as you would like it to be, is in another. I'd love to set up a different situation for my kids sot hat they could be a part of a rich community as they grow up.

But if it's that important, I should orient my life so that it looks the way I think it should, right? Move across the country, find a different job. Make it happen.

An impossible puzzle

Here's the truth. Theres a lot more facets of life than those I idealize in my mind. Life is made up of more than I could every hope to fit into my own perfect design. The only way to account for all the multitude of variables in life is to trust someone who has the means to understand them all. We firmly believe that is the Lord God.

This doesn't mean that if I follow the Lord he will make my life or my families life fun fun fun. I don't buy that, far from it in fact. This might, no, will mean life becomes more difficult.

"God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." -John Piper in Desiring God

Life is only meaningful, only worth living, if it is spent for the one whom it was meant to glorify. Whatever that looks like and wherever that leads you. Even if life is more difficult, it is spent with purpose.

Freedom for a purpose
If you are in the same boat as I am of constantly scheming how to make the ideal life, this should provide an incredible amount of freedom. There is no ideal life. There is no model life plan. Just seek each day to be obedient to the Lord's revealed calling for your life.

I have yet to see this lead to anything but adventure, a great story and joy. The Lord has shown to us that He isn't shy about providing for His own. He has given us amazing friends in Bakersfield and shown himself trustworthy time and time again.

Nothing is better than knowing God moved something for you. 

For example: it's almost midnight on an airplane full of screaming children flying across the U.S. and Isabelle finally fell asleep. 

I snapped a photo of Isabelle's feet on the plane (she actually slept!). This is the first time she has had her toenails painted.