I grew up in a military officer’s family. My dad was in the Air Force and because of that, we moved every 4 years. It seemed like the normal life of an average kid in America. I didn’t know any differently and my parents always made the best of the transitions from old to new and from no friends to new friends to old friends and through the cycle all over again at the beginning of each move.
What I didn’t realize was happening was that an urge was developing in me that would carry with me for many, many years after our last military move.
In contrast, Linda - my wife - lived in one house for the 1st 10 years of her life, moved and lived in the 2nd house for 10 years. That’s when we married.
In 1992, when we began to raise financial support to go to Slovakia to fulfill our our missionary call from the Lord, she used to have a “spiel” (I believe it’s a German word and is pronounced “shpeel”) that included how many times we had moved, how many houses/apartments we had lived in, how many cars we had bought & sold, animals, children, states lived in and much more.
Although it was funny, it was also indicative of the upbringing I had - for which I am truly very thankful and feel that I am very blessed to have experienced all that I have. I have, on occasion, thought about this lifestyle and considered how it has impacted my life. Someday, I’ll write more on that - specifically on one of the negatives, that being how I had grown up with an attitude of “disposable relationships.”
But for now, I want to focus on something perhaps a bit more mundane. Urges. The urge to move, to change houses, to change cars, to change jobs, states, etc. is not always a healthy urge - DUH!
Here’s an illustration from my computer life. I received my first laptop computer - if I recall correctly - in 1998. It lasted almost 2 years. Due to the generosity of a supporter, I purchased my next laptop in Dec., 2000. That computer lasted until I bought (again due to the generosity of a wonderful supporting couple) my Apple Macintosh Powerbook. Now, the first laptop limped into the last 6 months of it’s usefulness. It was actually fully functional for a little over a year and that was due only to the fact that I actually disassembled it to repair the display - a miraculous undertaking.
My 2nd laptop was a screaming machine (by comparison) and for the first 2 years (under the warranty) was wonderful because any problem I had was serviced by the manufacture in my home here in Slovakia. When the warranty ran out, the problems began. They mounted until the day when it failed to run at all.
I’m really getting to the point of “urges” - hang in there. I have now had my Mac Powerbook for 2 years and 7 months. I have never been happier with a computer - let alone a laptop. (I’m a closet Mac evangelist on the side!)
HOWEVER, in the past 2.5 years, Apple has made significant advances in their computers and I have the URGE to upgrade. (There, I made the connection to “urges”!) But it’s not time to upgrade - unfortunately. Why not? Because the machine is running as well as the day I bought it. Oh, one minor problem. When I put in a new hard drive (bigger) so I’d have more space, I somehow disconnected or damaged the keyboard backlight that my model has. I literally have not missed it and didn’t even realize it for weeks after I had installed the drive.
In spite of the fact that I dropped the computer from about 3 feet flat onto the hardwood floor, it runs like charm. I do newsletter layout, emails, web sites, video editing, graphics and so much more and it just keeps on ticking. I literally cannot justify upgrading - getting a new machine.
I cannot justify following my urge to make a change in machines - no matter how strong that urge is.
So, I guess the point of my little (long!) blurb is that we have to evaluate why we have the urges we have before considering whether or not there is true value in pursuing them.
I just finished a series in our youth ministry that I titled, “Sex, You and Relationships.” Most of the series covered the theology of sex, and how to recognize that we are sexual beings and that everything that we do, see, hear & experience is filtered through our sexuality in 2 ways - it is filtered as we EXpress ourselves (as our words leave our lips, actions are performed, etc.) and it is filtered as we INtake information through our senses. I also covered some of the more sensitive issues like sexual purity, pornography, masturbation, and homosexuality.
Anyway, the sexual urges that we have are also urges that need to be taken into “captivity” and examined before we give into them.
ANY urge needs to be put into a context of prayer, examination and consideration (I use the Bible for my “consideration”) before a decision can be made whether or not to act upon it.
What do you think?
What I didn’t realize was happening was that an urge was developing in me that would carry with me for many, many years after our last military move.
In contrast, Linda - my wife - lived in one house for the 1st 10 years of her life, moved and lived in the 2nd house for 10 years. That’s when we married.
In 1992, when we began to raise financial support to go to Slovakia to fulfill our our missionary call from the Lord, she used to have a “spiel” (I believe it’s a German word and is pronounced “shpeel”) that included how many times we had moved, how many houses/apartments we had lived in, how many cars we had bought & sold, animals, children, states lived in and much more.
Although it was funny, it was also indicative of the upbringing I had - for which I am truly very thankful and feel that I am very blessed to have experienced all that I have. I have, on occasion, thought about this lifestyle and considered how it has impacted my life. Someday, I’ll write more on that - specifically on one of the negatives, that being how I had grown up with an attitude of “disposable relationships.”
But for now, I want to focus on something perhaps a bit more mundane. Urges. The urge to move, to change houses, to change cars, to change jobs, states, etc. is not always a healthy urge - DUH!
Here’s an illustration from my computer life. I received my first laptop computer - if I recall correctly - in 1998. It lasted almost 2 years. Due to the generosity of a supporter, I purchased my next laptop in Dec., 2000. That computer lasted until I bought (again due to the generosity of a wonderful supporting couple) my Apple Macintosh Powerbook. Now, the first laptop limped into the last 6 months of it’s usefulness. It was actually fully functional for a little over a year and that was due only to the fact that I actually disassembled it to repair the display - a miraculous undertaking.
My 2nd laptop was a screaming machine (by comparison) and for the first 2 years (under the warranty) was wonderful because any problem I had was serviced by the manufacture in my home here in Slovakia. When the warranty ran out, the problems began. They mounted until the day when it failed to run at all.
I’m really getting to the point of “urges” - hang in there. I have now had my Mac Powerbook for 2 years and 7 months. I have never been happier with a computer - let alone a laptop. (I’m a closet Mac evangelist on the side!)
HOWEVER, in the past 2.5 years, Apple has made significant advances in their computers and I have the URGE to upgrade. (There, I made the connection to “urges”!) But it’s not time to upgrade - unfortunately. Why not? Because the machine is running as well as the day I bought it. Oh, one minor problem. When I put in a new hard drive (bigger) so I’d have more space, I somehow disconnected or damaged the keyboard backlight that my model has. I literally have not missed it and didn’t even realize it for weeks after I had installed the drive.
In spite of the fact that I dropped the computer from about 3 feet flat onto the hardwood floor, it runs like charm. I do newsletter layout, emails, web sites, video editing, graphics and so much more and it just keeps on ticking. I literally cannot justify upgrading - getting a new machine.
I cannot justify following my urge to make a change in machines - no matter how strong that urge is.
So, I guess the point of my little (long!) blurb is that we have to evaluate why we have the urges we have before considering whether or not there is true value in pursuing them.
I just finished a series in our youth ministry that I titled, “Sex, You and Relationships.” Most of the series covered the theology of sex, and how to recognize that we are sexual beings and that everything that we do, see, hear & experience is filtered through our sexuality in 2 ways - it is filtered as we EXpress ourselves (as our words leave our lips, actions are performed, etc.) and it is filtered as we INtake information through our senses. I also covered some of the more sensitive issues like sexual purity, pornography, masturbation, and homosexuality.
Anyway, the sexual urges that we have are also urges that need to be taken into “captivity” and examined before we give into them.
ANY urge needs to be put into a context of prayer, examination and consideration (I use the Bible for my “consideration”) before a decision can be made whether or not to act upon it.
What do you think?
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