Saturday, August 29, 2009

Nesting in skyscrapers

It must be said that a great deal of time can be wasted when one is trying to think of a name for a new blog. I considered and discarded numerous corny ideas before finally deciding on the final title. It partly came to me as we were flying between Perth and Singapore on the red-eye special and I was trying to get Tirzah to sleep. An old song kept repeating through my head, the lyrics referring to God's will ... "to rest in it, nest in it, fully be blessed in it..." I really like the notion of discovering the will of God for my life and making my nest in it.

We had a friend at university in Bathurst, NSW, who had a great reply for anyone who asked him where he hoped to be in ten years time or what his future plans were. "The only place I want to be," he would answer, "is right in the centre of God's will." And no one could suggest a better place to be!

In the last month or so as we've been packing up our house in Perth, selling furniture, and getting ready to move overseas we've been thinking a lot about "the will of God". It appears that for the immediate future, God's will is for our family to be in Hong Kong, serving him there. While Craig has been quite excited about the move and his new job, I have had many regrets about the timing of this move, sadness about leaving friends in Perth, and general concerns about living in Hong Kong. How will we find the right house/apartment? Will my years of learning Auslan be wasted? How can we afford it? Will I be able to find work? Will the children be happy at their new school?

Keegan's pre-primary teacher from Kingsway Christian College kindly gave me a farewell present with a bookmark included, and I really liked the quote printed on it. It reads, "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you, where the arms of God cannot support you, where the riches of God cannot supply your needs, where the love of God cannot enfold you, and where the peace of God cannot calm your fears." If I am truly nesting in God's will, then all my worries can dissolve as I put my trust in him.

The "nesting" part of the blog title, therefore, refers to our desire as a family to follow God's will for our lives. And after seeing for myself Hong Kong's famous skyline, the "skyscrapers" part of the name was a natural choice regarding our home for the next few years. I hope you will enjoy reading about our adventures through this blog and are encouraged yourself to seek God's will for your life, make your nest right in the centre, and get comfortable.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Renee,
    Thanks for creating such a fantastic blog, I'm sure I will log on regularly to see your progress! I've certainly enjoyed it so far!
    I love the name too - well done!
    Know we are thinking of and praying for you all!
    Take care, love Nadia xx

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  2. Hi Renee

    Great to hear you arrived safely and everything went well. It's quite an adventure travelling with children but I think people find you more approachable. Thanks for the blog good to hear your news.
    We will be praying for you all
    God bless
    Jennifer.

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  3. Hey Harveys!
    Have just read your whole blog and enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks for taking the time to keep us up to date with your adventure/journey so far it really helps us to stay connected.
    We pray that you would feel God's presence with you as you continue make your 'nest' in the 'skyscrapers'.
    Much love to you!
    Jen
    (Spencer...just in case you were wondering) :)

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  4. What a fantastic name!

    Much better than the clunkers I came up with! Except for "Singing the Hong Kong Song"...

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  5. I still like the sound of "Going Bonkers in Honkers" LOL

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