Temporarily In the Office

"Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness...and He said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?" Gen. 16:7,8

THERE WILL BE NO BLOG TODAY BECAUSE I AM TEMPORARILY IN THE OFFICE! (That is all I was going to write on my post today!)

This morning Valley Cabinets appeared with my new office bookshelves. It was very exciting to watch them install cabinetry just for me! Just for my stuff! (Charlie said it was even more exciting for him because it meant he was getting more room in his office.)

After the installers left, I spent the afternoon organizing - putting my precious books and photos and CD's away in their new shelves and cabinets. Now I knew where everything was!

Why does being temporarily in the office mean so much to me? Because we have moved so much!!!

Brown cardboard boxes and orange moving vans have been a huge part of our married life. Over the short forty-five years of our marriage, we have lived in South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Connecticut, Alabama, and in several parts of Wisconsin. If you have ever moved, you know that moving throws your life into mislabeled boxes. You think you know where things are, but you really don't. One time I carefully unpacked a box inscribed: "Fragile! Dining Room China!" - only to find a long piece of carefully wrapped dryer pipe.

I shook my head and discarded it. I had no use for dryer pipe!

But now, no more mislabeled boxes! From today forward, a place for everything and everything in its place-unpacked-IN MY OFFICE!

So why is there more on my blog than I had intended?

As I reached up onto an empty shelf, I started thinking about Hagar. There she was, pregnant, fleeing from her mistress in the wilderness, abandoned by her master, Abram. But the Angel of the Lord found her and stopped her up short with His question; "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?"

It was a theophany. The Angel of the Lord was Jesus and He had found her! He had not only found her but God had a plan for her life that involved a mighty nation. She wasn't a piece of dryer pipe to be cast off as worthless. God knew where she came from and He knew exactly what He was going to do for her.

I know where I came from. I was dead in my trespasses and sins and He found me! I know where I'm going because even though I was dead, God made me alive in Christ! I'm going on to an eternal city whose builder and maker is God.

I am in this office, but only temporarily. As happy as it makes me to "nest" today, it is still for just a little while. But, what euphoria will I feel when I am finally there? What joy will I have when I see the heavenly bookshelves the Carpenter has built for me in the mansion that He has prepared - just for me?

Jesus found Hagar. Jesus found me. Jesus found YOU! He has a plan for our lives just like he did for Hagar's. But one day we're going to be out of our temporary earthly offices and gloriously situated in our permanent custom built heavenly homes
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While we're still here though, why not keep on keeping on reading through the Bible with me?

Oh, and before you go offblog, say it with me: We are not dryer pipe!!!