Tomorrow my mother & stepfather hope to begin the process of moving out (I live in Mum’s house, paying her rent, & owing to renovations in June she & stepfather moved in).

They will move back to where they were living when Mum first married stepfather - just down the road from me, their now renovated, newly painted, carpeted, polish-floored property.

Prayer points are as follows:

* That I will cheerfully help them with the move, putting off selfishness and putting on humility, so that God may be honoured, & my mother/stepfather encouraged through what is a stressful, busy time for them

* That I will look for ways to serve them that take some pressure off them

* That I will do everything for them without complaining or arguing

* For a smooth, disruptive free move and safety for everyone - if it be God’s will - as stepfather has a bad back, my twin sister has constant arm & shoulder pain, and I myself have untrustworthy kneecaps & am still slowly recovering from an ankle ligament injury dating back to October last year

* For patience in the coming months when we discover things have gotten lost or mistakenly moved across from one place to another

* That God will remind us (since, of all my family, only my stepbrothers are not professing Christians) that our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, & help us keep our eyes on His bigger picture.

Thanks in advance.

Tia Z.

Hi Tia

It sure sounds like a challenging time ahead!

I am encouraged by your desire to honour Jesus in the circumstances. Will pray for you and your family and that He will strengthen you in every way and give you great patience as you serve Him and your family.

Di

Update.

All the big items were packed off in the truck this morning & safely transported.  Mother flitted back & forth between the two houses, doing odd things, while stepfather was gone with the truck all day.

As stepfather returned this afternoon without providing much detail of how things had gone over at the new/old house (whenever there is anything wrong he just goes off & grumbles about it, but if all goes well he says little), I must presume things went smoothly.

At any rate, no fights have broken out yet.  Thank God for His mercy so far!

TZ.

Move is done, though they’re still living here until the toilet gets installed!

Thank God for establishing peace for us in this time!

And thank you for your prayers.

TZ.

They are having their first sleep in the new/old house this evening…

In other words, they have finally and really moved out…

They’re goooooone!!  PRAISE THE LORD!!

Seriously though, I am thankful for the way in which my stepfather has been so committed to my mother since they married in 2003.

And I’m thankful for my stepfather’s well-intentioned concern for the social, financial and maybe even spiritual welfare of myself and my sisters, however annoying it seems when expressed in one of his “paradigm-shift” lectures.

In hindsight I realise he’s trying to make up for the vacuum created by my father back in 1989 when father broke the 7th commandment.  And stepfather’s not trying to do that because he feels he should.  He’s doing it because he wants to and genuinely cares not only for his wife but her daughters too.  Freaky.

So on the brink of his fifty-somethingeth birthday, I find myself in the inaugural state of thanking God for him...however much his deliveries continue to put me on the back foot in future!

Once they moved out, no more nagging!! Isn’t it good??
Are you living with your sisters?

Yes - and the two of ‘em have stepped into the nagging roles vacated...though more tolerably.....

No, that’s too harsh.  I’m just tired during the week and don’t get enough sleep, and it’s nigh impossible to stay up extra late or get up extra early to do chores needing doing; I’d rather leave those ‘til the weekend!

TZ.