Outside the Box and Inside the Suitcase: Kate's Departing Reflections

Fun... Practical... Sentimental - what warrants a place in the next three years of our lives? 

As the date of our departure approaches, we are creatively seeking closure in our hearts as well as our suitcases.  

In prioritizing our earthly possessions we are attempting to select those things that are meaningful enough to make the packing list.  So many questions to consider...

How important is it to me?  How much do I use it?  Does it fit in the suitcase?  How much does this hat make me stand out as a foreigner in Thailand?  

Meanwhile, we are going through the challenging process of saying, "goodbye," to many dear friends and family members.  Goodbyes are bittersweet; they can be so hard and so beautiful at the same time.  


I recently experienced a powerful moment during a tear-filled farewell with a close friend - at the very moment that I felt the most sorrow, I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  

I am often filled with gratitude and a spirit of praise for the rich relationships with which I've been blessed.  At the same time I am grieving the loss of many hugs, snuggles and giggles with nieces and nephews; many game nights, fun outings, and coffee dates.  I could easily focus on what I will be missing or giving up, but the Lord continues to show me that He will bless us abundantly for our faithfulness to follow His call.  

We are confident that The Lord will be faithful in His promises.  Anything the Lord calls us to do is worth the cost.  This verse from Mark 10 has had an impact on the condition of my heart lately: 

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life." {Mark 10:29-30}

As we attempt to think outside the box about packing and, more importantly, saying meaningful goodbyes, we are accompanied by an awareness of the struggles that may lie ahead.  Yet, in so many ways we feel that the promise in Mark 10 has already been fulfilled in our lives as we are lifted up in prayer and encouraged by so many brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Fun... Practical... Sentimental - The Lord has already begun to show us what warrants a place in the next three years of our lives.  I pray that this next phase of life will be as rich as the one that is concluding.  It will look and feel different as many close relationships will be separated by half a world.  But, as we each grow in the Lord, sharing testimonies of His faithfulness, we will grow closer in spirit.  I have been given a glimpse of the beauty of the body of Christ in all its mystery.