harbarger theory:
it's always a good thing to unpack your boxes
In late July, Wendy and I moved to a new/old place to continue our itinerant ministry among another collection of God's people. As much as I hate moving ... and hate leaving people I love ... it's been a good move. A vibrant church, great people, impressive leaders, an excellent staff with which to share ministry. As I said, it's been a good move!
But, a LOONG time ago, I realized a huge truth. When you move, unpack your boxes. I mean, not just get junk out of cardboard rectangular cubes, but unpack your boxes emotionally & metaphysically, too. Move in to wherever you are sent. Become a native as soon as possible.
Back in 1999 (yep, in the last century!!), we moved to New Lexington, Ohio in Perry County. (Yeah, I know you don't know where that is. Just look it up on Google Maps!) Since my name begins with an "H," I change my automobile registration in June, so when I did, I had them registered in New Lex. That was back in the days of the gold license plates with the county name stickers on the bottom. So, when I moved into New Lex, I already had Perry County plates on my cars. I was moving in.
Yesterday, I finished moving into my Church Office. I got the rest of my pictures and such unpacked and hung on my walls and even installed a cord hole (with a nifty cord grommet) on my desk so that there wasn't a visible rat's nest of cords by my desk. I moved in. It felt good.
Then, I announced last night at Administrative Board that I planned to be here until I retire and I'm burning my boxes. Although, I'm not a fan of the whole Conquistador history and the subjugation of native peoples and the like, it remains an amazing leadership story about Cortes. Instead of leaving his impressive fleet of ocean-sailing ships in the harbor, Cortes decided that his men (the afore mentioned Conquistadores), needed motivation to complete the task, so he burned his ships to the waterline and sunk them. There was no going back to Spain. The task was only to move ahead, never back.
I think that as I move into my ministry, I need to make the assumption that I will be here forever, so I need to move in and become a ... Monrovian? Monroe-oid? Monroan? ... full resident of Monroe. I need to unpack, move in and be a part of a community. Go to football games. Eat at restaurants. Know folks. Be known to folks. You know ... move in.
Not that I'm a Calvinist or a Neo-Calvinisty (shudder), but I believe enough in the sovereignty of God that I believe that where I am (or where you are) is where I am (you are) supposed to be and THEREFORE, I am (you are) to move in and to do ministry right there, right now.
This principle became clear to me waaaaay back at the Drew University Theological School, where I went to seminary. Some of my classmates were just going through the motions. I believe their metaphor was "jumping through the hoops." I didn't. I believed enough in the sovereignty of God that I believed that I had something to learn and something to offer. I moved into Drew and it became my home as I squeezed my 3 years of seminary into ... 4.
I have done that ever since. I have moved in. Wherever I am becomes my home. Wherever I am, I have something to learn and something to offer. I dig into relationships with folks. I buy clothes in the school colors. I find out what is special there and celebrate it. I become a part of the culture where God has sent me.
To be honest, I have given away most of my box
Sometimes I wonder if we clergy struggle in our appointments because we don't unpack our boxes. We hold onto where we used to be ... or would rather be ... or hope to be. Maybe, in our hoping for the other, we miss the incredible blessings of the right here and right now. Maybe not, but I still wonder and I will stay moved in, by golly!
And, by the way ... I HATE moving!!! And I hate boxes.
harbarger theory:
it's always a good thing to unpack your boxes
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1 comment:
I was just going over some of your blogs again and this one caught my eye.
I to like to empty all my boxes when ever we move. That has been a lot of moves in the last 35 years because Jim was in the Air Force for 25 years. My point here is that through the moves we have not been able to empty the boxes ,because as we move in Jim has to get the boxes organized even before I have had a chance to unpack them. So when we get to move again I find many of the things we have been missing since the last move. Our lives are like that to we carry our previous relationships weather good or bad right along with us.
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