All Things Work Together for Good

Boxes are everywhere. They line the walls of my house, one on top of the other, in every room. In exactly five days, the new owner will do her final walk-through. Before then, we will need to have absolutely everything out of here and the whole house clean and ready for closing the following morning. Can I just say that feels more than a little overwhelming? I packed nearly everything before my trip to Utah last week, but still there is much to do. Little things like renting a post office box and getting our mail forwarded there beginning next week. Disposing of the old red car (a 1987 Mercury Sable, so I do mean old!) that currently resides in our garage. Figuring out exactly what goes into the storage unit (almost everything) and what absolute essentials will go with us to our temporary housing.

Add to this the fact that this is Eli's final week of high school. He is crazy busy! His seminary graduation is this Sunday, his last choir concert is Tuesday, and his commencement is the following weekend. We will need to find some way to celebrate that, albeit obviously not in this house. Meanwhile, we are also in the process of finding a new house to buy in Utah, with all the issues that go along with house-buying. It's trickier to get financing figured out when your primary income is still in a different state. Oh yeah, along that line, Gerald needs a job in Utah (like yesterday!), so he's busy with applications, along with trying to get us moved and, of course, still working both his current jobs.

The reassurance that keeps coming to my mind is from a verse in Romans:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

This is so true. Let me tell you about a few of things that have already worked together for good:

1. In an economy where houses are on the market an average of 90 days, our home sold in less than 30.

2. With only a couple small glitches along the way, we have progressed smoothly toward a successful closing next week.

3. A helpful realtor in Salt Lake City showed me many lovely and reasonably-priced homes, and I'm confident we will settle on just the right one when the time comes.

4. A kind and generous friend offered us her basement apartment to live in this summer until we can get moved.

The next five days will not be easy ones. And summer? It will have its challenges as well. I may need to repeat the above verse to myself a thousand times before we cross the last bridge in this long-awaited transition.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

I believe that. I do indeed!