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truck could not do the job so we had to get a
second tow truck. As the U-Haul truck started to move, the engine died. I was on
the street stopping the traffic (did I mention it was dark?). Anyway, when the
engine died the truck went back to its original position. I could hear our
furniture crashing in the truck. Eventually we did get the truck up the incline
but I was sick again. The next day we made it to Wilburton,
Oklahoma. Unpacking was easy for we had plenty of help. I remember one of the
elders saying, “We will get you here and then leave you alone.” I wondered
which way he meant that. The very first Saturday night we were in our rented
house we started to put up a Christmas tree. Carrying a box of decorations I
fell down the only two steps in the whole house. Fortunately there was a
hospital in the town and we were only a few minutes from the emergency room. I
was on crutches for my first lesson there. In fact, I was sitting in a chair for
that first Sunday (Does this sound familiar?). We left Wilburton to move into my parent’s
basement in Butler County, Kentucky. Once again Mom and Dad got to be a part of
the move. The hardest part was simply moving into my parent’s basement. I had
decided to quit preaching and find some other type of work.
The saying, “it was the best of times and it was the worst of times,”
accurately describes our next year. I will be forever thankful and grateful to
my parent’s for allowing us to live there and for the time our children had
with their grandparent’s. After that year we moved to Tuckerman,
Arkansas. Mom and Dad did all they could to keep us in their basement and then
they did all they could to get us to Tuckerman. This was the last move they
helped us with as we the moves to Jonesboro, Arkansas. It was about 45 miles
away so we made a lot of trips taking our things to our new home. Our move to Owensboro was different for we no
longer had my parent’s to help. Neither one’s health allowed them to carry
boxes or even make the trip. Now it was Regena, our children, the brethren,
and myself. I remember thinking that something was not right about moving
and not having my parent’s as part of the move itself. Yet this move was
partly because of my parents and their declining health. Here’s some lessons I have learned from
moving. Each move gives us the opportunity to get rid
of some junk and find out what we really have. Most of the time there are things
we just don’t really need and/or use and need to get shed of. At the same time
we usually find some things that were misplaced. Those misplaced items we would
have never found if we were looking for them. The same can be said for our lives. We can get
it to cluttered up and need to throw away some things. Things such as sin, needs
to be washed away, repented of, and just left behind. In the, Parable of the
Sower, Jesus speaks of those that will allow the cares and riches of this world
to choke out the word of God, Luke 8.14. Many houses are full of things and junk
to the point of being useless. Our lives can be full of ballgames, recreation,
entertainment, and we become useless in our service to God. Those important
items we need to take care of. Matt 16:24-27 “24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he
gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul?” There is nothing of greater value than our
soul. We need to take care of it for it is the one things that is truly ours and
eternal. Wrapping up delicate china ware or a valuable piece of furniture may be
prudent when moving. We need to take greater care of our soul. Changing is hard but often the benefits
outweigh the pain. It is hard to say goodbye to Christians that you have learned
to love and appreciate. Most moves have required us to leave people we consider
to be our family. At the same time we have developed new friends and family
members. The key is to not get stuck in the past and keep on growing; the
friendships will take care of themselves. The same can be said for our experiences in
serving God. Most of us will make mistakes and wish things had turned out
better. I know as I look back on my twenty five years of preaching that I should
have done some things differently. But I did the best I could and when needed I
try to admit my faults and wrongs. The Apostle Paul expressed this in
Philippians 3:12-16 “12 Not that I have already attained, or am already
perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus
has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have
apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and
reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as
many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God
will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have
already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.” Yes, I have made mistakes and there has been a
move or two that I probably should not have made but it does no good to dwell on
the past. The best we can do is learn from our mistakes and do better in the
future. Eventually our children will have their own moving experiences in life. They will leave Mom and Dad to go somewhere else. It may be just down the street or a thousand miles away. I hope we can help them to make those moves. – Dennis Tucker (Editor's Note: Noah pointed out to me that I neglected to mention her place of birth. She was born in McAlester, OK. This was while we were living in Wilburton, OK. Regena's father was suffering from prostate cancer when we found out she was pregnant. As Regena has said many times, Noah was her sanity during this time.) |