Twenty Six Feet

I actually began composing this post in my mind the week we were packing our moving truck. Then things became so incredibly chaotic and stressful, it never was written. Until today, I was reminded of it- my thoughts drifted back….

We rented a 26 foot U-Haul truck to move from the house we were selling to our new home. We have the most amazing friends who came and helped us pack it. All along, I wasn’t sure how it would work- how would we fit our entire house contents into 26 feet? The weeks before I was purging and purging…all along in the back of mind knowing I only had 26 feet to pack. It was quite freeing actually. A simple girl like me, forced to pare down even more. In order to fit into 26 feet.

The morning of packing came, and within two hours, all of our stuff was packed into 26 feet. With room to spare even! It was sort of weird feeling to look at my driveway, and this truck, knowing all of our earthly possessions were tucked into 26 feet.

It makes you rethink possessions, and stuff, and material items. It makes you realize that life is about so much more than stuff.

Now, since we’ve moved I will admit having a much bigger house does make for easier days in some aspects. We have room for guests.  The first night we moved in, we had a houseful of helpers for dinner, and I marveled at a full kitchen and living room, while food was served and joy was felt. We weren’t serving the food in shifts because there was no room in the kitchen, and we weren’t all sitting on top of each other. We have room to keep things much more organized because it doesn’t feel nearly as cluttered. We have empty drawers and cabinets and closets because I just don’t have that much extra stuff. I find myself not wanting to fill any of it on a whim either…because I have seen that 26 feet is enough to hold all the temporal, and I don’t want to hoard the temporal.

I am marveling in the dream come true of having land and space for our kids to play. And He has given us even more than our hearts desired. I am thrilled to have room, but we will use it for God’s glory and will continue to point back to HIM- this is all from Him and we will use it to honor Him in every way.

So I am stuck between a world of 26 feet and more square feet than ever. I rejoice in the blessings God has bestowed on us, but I place my HOPE in the eternal. Whether 26 feet or much more square feet, this earth holds nothing compared to what is to come.