More Than

Tandie and I have just purchased a house in a another town.  We have been there for several days, sleeping on an air mattress without any of our household goods or furniture, or a change of clothing. We have been experiencing the "More Than" principle in all its glory. This move has cost more, been more work and taken more time than we had bargained on.  I can see your knowing grins and hear your silent amens.

This principle, we are experiencing is not unique, it is almost universal. Nothing is quite what it seems going in. It almost always costs more than you imagined in time, energy and resources. One would wonder why anyone would ever take this journey twice, given the burden of the more than effect.

The reason, I believe, is the other side of the more than coin. While there is definitely a host of burden increases along the way, there are also multiple blessings in the middle of it all. There is the satisfaction of seeing things come together in a new and wonderful way. There are angels, who come along side you and help in wonderful ways. There is a newness that exceeds what you expected. There is a sense of forward motion that is dao uplifting. There is that turning of a page, which opens up more vistas and possibilities.

Most of all, in the more than department, there is a growing faith in God that is more than you expected. The is more appreciation for God's hand in your life. There is more evidence of His blessings falling like rain. There is more appreciation of just how blessed you are. The is more than in  more ways than you might imagine.

We have been so frustrated, so disappointed, so sapped, so energized, so encouraged, so blessed. We are on another season of life that holds both more losses and more gifts. But what is most important is  not in what the future holds but in Who holds our future. And here is where the greater principle applies - the providence of God: "you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

The more than point of this journe?  "God and do more than you can ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). Jus' Say'n.