We. Are. Moving! My husband’s program here at Oxford University is supposed to last for three years and our three years will be in January, so we are moving then! My husband will not have totally finished his course, but he has reached a point where he can finish it from a distance and not be on campus any longer. He received a job offer back at our old church in California that we couldn’t refuse. So we are heading back to the Los Angeles area in January 2024 for him to start working. And, boy, there’s so much I could say about our move.
First, I am very thankful; lots of PhD graduates don’t have any jobs or any offers when they reach this point. God has truly provided for our family in this job and I am grateful. It’s super exciting to think of going back to an area we know and a church we love. Unlike our move to England, much of this move will not actually be “new.” But I am also quite sad to leave England! I have really grown to love this country over our time here and I think I’ve become rather accustomed to a more European lifestyle what with walking everywhere and having an allotment. But I knew when we moved here that it would only be a chapter in our lives and I’m so grateful that I’ve enjoyed it to the fullest. As the chapter is ending and I look to move my family around the world (again) in the next few months, I have found a lot of comfort in this Bible verse:
Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
God is immutable; He does not change. Now that means a lot of things. In fact, it’s what makes Him God and not human. But in my life right now. It’s His immutability that I can rely on. In my current case, I feel that all these changes in my life are from one good thing to another, but even if that were not the case, God never changes. Our lives twist and turn, rise and fall, and He is steady. He will always be God. What comfort for us when we feel the weight of change in our lives.
I’ve been able to memorize this verse with the help of a children’s song. Maybe you’d like to try memorizing it that way too.
I’m excited to bring you along for our move and our new life in California. Thanks for keeping up with my writing and with my family, friends!
Deborah
