nomads

so i'm up to my ears in boxes....again. i have moved at least once every two years for as long as i can remember. my mom asked me recently if i ever wanted to get an actual sofa instead of having a futon, and my initial reaction was to wonder why on earth i would do that. futons are lighter and easier to move.

pete grieg wrote this amazing article (for lack of a better word) called the vision; when i first heard it several years ago, my heart "zinged" at the following phrase:

They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.

there was something captivating and romantic about the life of a nomad, and it called to me. a season of sojourning. free...mobile...unfettered. so it is with everyone born of the Spirit. amen.

but it's a lot harder to remember that when sweat is pouring down your back, your hair is in your eyes, and you've smacked your hand with a hammer for the fifth time hanging pictures that you know you're just going to take down again in a few months. it's easy to lose sight of purpose, then. when you're struggling to slide a mattress through a door frame that doesn't want to cooperate, it's easy swear that you'll never do this again.

one of my mentors brought a refreshing perspective in conversation yesterday. she was talking about a ministry in the city that doesn't have a permanent place to meet--and is considering rotating around to several churches during the week. "what a wonderful opportunity to be able to go in and salt these bodies," she exclaimed.

oh...

Jesus called us to be salt and light; in His kindness, He answers the "yes" of our spirits even when our bodies complain. each transition in my life has expanded my circle of influence. every new face has a new story, and is a new opportunity for me to teach and to learn.

i'm thinking about opportunities today--maybe you're facing a job transfer, getting laid off or moving home from college for the summer. regardless of the circumstances, the question that remains is this: are you "salting" as you go?