Navigating a Move

I find moving my household to be incredibly stressful, and I'm getting too old for the level of physical and emotional exertion that comes with it. However, I am reminded that Abraham was 75 years old when God told him to move and to leave all the familiar things behind:

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1).

The Bible tells us that Abram obeyed and went, yet we only catch glimpses of the messy stress of their moving—the gathering of all their possessions, leaving family behind, sorting the logistics of travel, and making their way to an unfamiliar place. He and Sarai may have obeyed and gone, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. Moving is never a simple process.

Uncertainty and change

Moving often involves a significant life change—whether it's a job relocation, a change in personal circumstances, or at least new living environment. Even when we know there are blessings waiting at the end, we still need to slog through packing and hauling to get there. Uncertainty about the future and what a new chapter might hold can make a move feel even more challenging. There is much outside of our control which adds to our anxiety. We can’t change our circumstances, only how we react to those setbacks. Abram and Sarai did not know what the end destination would look like, they simply trusted the care of their God who instructed them to go.

Physical Effort

Moving furniture, sorting stuff, packing boxes, disposing of the excess, and then cleaning both the old and new homes are physically demanding tasks. Even if you hire movers, the mental and emotional load can still be taxing. It is important to acknowledge our limitations and lean into our communities to help us. We all benefit from having the support of our faith community. Abram had the advantage of servants to help with the physical labor associated with moving, but I am sure there was a lot of energy put into the planning. We need to acknowledge our limits and learn to ask for and accept help. Self-care is important, so lean into the spaces that are supportive and step back from spaces that lack empathy.

Disruption of routine

Abram took his family on the road, traveling through foreign communities where he was anxious and afraid. The upheaval of a move can throw our routines out of balance. Living out of boxes while waiting to be settled again can be very challenging, especially for kids. Finding new doctors, schools, grocery stores, and other services adds an additional layer of challenge as we try to keep some semblance of normal in our routines. Yet, it is important to find our comfort not just in the sameness of our routines, but to look for the blessings in the disruptions. We can learn a lot about God and ourselves through the seasons of desert wandering.

Time-consuming

The process of packing, organizing, and transporting your belongings takes a significant amount of time, often while we are still managing other aspects of life such as work, family, church, and personal obligations. Our time is precious and moving can burn through our time and energy. When our time is limited, what falls away first is self-care. When we are exhausted and overwhelmed, burnout is just around the corner if we don’t practice caring for ourselves.

Logistical challenges

Coordinating a move—organizing all your possessions, working with realtors, scheduling utilities, moving your belongings, and endless other tasks precipitated by a move—can feel overwhelming. Unexpected complications can also arise, requiring endless patience and attention. The details may not come together the way we want, but God walks with us through the mess.

Dealing with Clutter

Moving out forces you to confront everything you own, which can be overwhelming if you've accumulated items over time. Deciding what to keep, donate, or throw away is a daunting task, and there's always a pile left over that doesn't fit in a box. The clutter adds to the chaos. Scripture talks about Abram as someone who had a lot of stuff to deal with too. “Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold” (Gen 13:2). He too had a lot to manage. 

Emotional toll

Leaving a familiar home and neighborhood, especially if you've lived there for a while, can be emotionally taxing. Moving helps us realize just how much we become attached to a particular place and a community. We mourn leaving because we have experienced love that has anchored our hearts in that space. The thought of leaving can trigger feelings of nostalgia, loss, or anxiety about leaving behind a place where love was shared. Sifting through all of our belongings triggers memories that we thought we had tucked away. Packing requires us to reach into all of the corners and revisit those things again.

Moving is not "easy peasy, lemon squeezy," but more "messy, stressy, depressy, unresty." If you are moving, give yourself grace and practice self-care as you navigate through the challenges of the season. Know that God sees your pain and cares about your struggles. God is faithful to walk with us through every chapter of life, even the hard and messy ones. If you know someone going through a challenging season of moving, consider how you can help—a meal dropped off, assistance with packing or cleaning, or a kind note that you are praying can go a long way in helping care for friends in a season of being uprooted. May God’s comforting presence be the constant in a world of messy transitions.