MAX ON LIFE

107. Almost every year we move to a new house if not a new country. My husband is in the military, and I support his career completely, but all the changes that come with these moves are beginning to weigh on me. I'm becoming anxious about the next move, making it difficult for me to be supportive of my husband.

Life comes caffeinated with surprises. Modifications. Transitions. Alterations. You move down the ladder, out of the house, over for the new guy, up through the system. All this moving. Some changes are welcome; others are not.

While the idea of moving to a new place sounds exotic at first, I'm sure over time it's a burden. As soon as you memorize the channels on your cable system, you're packing the TV. The minute you've worked up the guts to introduce yourself to the neighbor, it's time to say good-bye.

Probably the hardest transitional sacrifices are the friendships. Finding friends is hard. Making friends even harder. Many relationships require time, and time isn't always on your side.

But it's important to stay by your husband's side during these transitions. After God, he is your primary and most important relationship.

I always wondered why God made woman from the rib of a man until I realized the location of the rib is at the man's side. He wants husbands and wives to stand side by side through all the difficulties and struggles of life.

You are not following your husband to the next location, carrying his boxes and golf bag. You are standing side by side holding hands and supporting each other along the way.

Jesus knew the difficulties of relocation. His parents moved from Nazareth to Bethlehem, then to Egypt, then back to Nazareth - all of this before Jesus learned to walk! When Jesus started his ministry, he had no mailing address, roaming around Israel from place to place. Then after his thirty-three-year stint on earth, Jesus packed up his bags and transferred back to heaven. His disciples didn't want him to leave, so he reminded them that they wouldn't be alone: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7).

Counselor means many things, such as "friend" or "helper", two people you need the most when you move into unfamiliar territory. Although he won't help you pack boxes or move the piano to the fourth floor, he will come alongside you, fill you with peace, and move in your heart as never before.

The Counselor, the Friend, the Helper, is the Holy Spirit. You can find just as much Holy Spirit in Tulsa as you can in Tallahassee. He works in Bangor and Bangkok. His address reads everywhere from Atlanta to Zanzibar.... and from heaven to earth.

Jesus took his spiritual family with him everywhere he went. And so should you.

God never sends you out alone. When everything in life changes, one thing cannot: the Holy Spirit will always be at your side.

By: Max Lucado