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Leaving “El Mundo” Behind
I turned 27 years old yesterday. Man, I’m getting old. Life has a funny way of slipping by faster than you think. Time stops for no man. I’m at a point in my life where it seems like I’m starting over. I’m in transition. God has given me another chance to begin again and I don’t want to waste this opportunity.
With a new year and another birthday passing, I find myself starting another journey. For a while it seemed like I had hit a plateau. I had become complacent with where I was at, but God was calling me to so much more. He’s calling me to start climbing that mountain again.
Even with these columns that I’ve been writing this year, it seems like God’s moving me in a new direction. Last week I wrote about commitment. He was asking me, “Are you committed?” And not just to what I was already doing, but to what He wants me to do throughout this year. The week before He reminded me that in order to fulfill that call He has on my life I’m going to have to keep “Putting Him First in 2005.” And even from the beginning of the year, He’s been saying “Get Ready” because He’s about to do something great in my life.
This past weekend my bro, sis and I moved into a new apartment. Oh, how I hate moving. All that work. Moving boxes and beds and dressers and cleaning and unpacking and rearranging, so much fun, right? It’s always hard to get situated in a new place. I’m the kind of person that likes to have everything in order and in its place, but after working all night Friday and then moving all day Saturday, I found myself crashing out amidst all my scattered boxes.
Well, Monday, after I finally finished getting everything in order, I pulled out my guitar and started worshiping God and just thanking Him for sort of a new start. I was praying and asking Him to start something new in my life, that things would be different here at these new apartments. I started praying that He would reside with us here, so that our apartment can be a refuge, a lighthouse for His honor and His glory.
The old apartment complex we lived at was called “El Mundo Park Apartments.” El Mundo is Spanish for “the world”. You might ask, why would a Christian move into apartments named “the world”? Well, let’s just say that my sister Celina picked them out. Yeah, we all need to pray for her. (jk)
God was showing me as I started writing this column that He was taking me out of “the world” and moving me to another place in my walk with Him. I liked my old apartments and we had some good times there, but I also went through some of the darkest times in my life while I lived there. I felt God was telling me, as I move into this new place, to leave everything that happened in the past behind me and to start anew as I leave “El Mundo” behind.
In our Christian walks, sometimes we get to the place where we become complacent. We become comfortable and stagnant. We start adapting to the world around us instead of being that light that shines in the midst of the darkness. Our light starts to fade. The Bible says that we are not of this world. We are in the world, but not of it. (John 15:18-19)
Change can be a good thing. Sometimes God has to shake us up. He uproots us and moves us to where He wants us to be, and actually to where we need to be. Now, I’m not saying everyone needs to move to a new house or apartment. What I’m saying is that we need to move away from those areas in our lives that are causing us to stray from Him.
I’m excited about the new place. We’re a lot closer to our church and to my work. I have a bigger room now, and I don’t have to share a room with Gabe anymore. (THANK GOD!!!) But more than that, I know that this is another opportunity for me to start over and get things right this time.
God wants to give you a new start also. He’s got great plans for your life. He’s calling you to a new start, a new beginning and a closer walk with Him. Listen to His voice and “Get Ready” because He’s about to do a great work. I think God is trying to tell all of us to “Leave El Mundo Behind.” God Bless and c-ya next week.
w/muchluv,
geno
(if you need my new address and phone #, hit me up with an email - peace)
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