Moving On

“They do not belong to this world any more than I do.” (John 17:16 NLT)

A few years ago, a friend of mine built a custom home on the other side of town from where she was living. However, even after her new house was ready, she didn’t fully move out of her old house for months. The kids still needed to finish out the school year, and the old neighborhood was close to everything familiar. She had a storage POD in her driveway. She slowly moved non-essential items into it whenever she had extra time. She got rid of a lot of useless clutter. The old house didn’t sell for months, and it required regular upkeep and staging. She was depending on the profit from the sale of this house to finance the new one. This transitional form of living continued for much longer than she anticipated. She remained attached to the old neighborhood and hesitant to fully commit to the new place.

The worldly life feels comfortable; it provides us with a sense of belonging. Our identities become enmeshed in our accomplishments, relationships, and social perceptions. We sense there is something better, but we are reluctant to leave behind the things that feel familiar and cozy. Oftentimes, we look to religion to aid in the transition. Like portable storage units, church groups allow us to keep living mostly in the world while dipping our toes in the spiritual realm. This promotes an illusion of progress, but it is far from Truth.   

Our new home is set apart from the commonplace. It requires us to leave behind the familiar and fully commit ourselves to Divine Truth. Sanctification is not comfortable. The move can be socially isolating. However, once we manage to detach from worldliness, we are ushered into our new home. We are engulfed by holiness. We are unified in relationship with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.