When my wife and I left Anaheim to move to the northern San Joaquin Valley, we discovered that there was so much accumulation of stuff that it would be difficult to move it all. It called for some sort of cleansing to go on, a detachment from the things associated with the old so that the new could be fully embraced. So for days before the actual move we began to go through the closets and drawers throwing the treasures of impulse and indulgence away. It was a cleansing necessary to the move and so we endeavored to give it our best efforts. Of course, I decided to give oversight from afar, since I was in another state, sharing a song and a message with people of that place. My wife was the onsite manager, and she has a reputation in our family as both radical and ruthless when it comes to disposing of “the accumulation of stuff”. But the cleansing was essential if we were going to move forward with an unfettered ease.

I think for many of us this sort of cleansing and detachment seems too radical and difficult to undertake. Yet in the spiritual life it seems essential to the process of transformation. When Joshua stood on the banks of the Jordan, having set up camp with the Israelites before their crossing, he instructed the people in preparation for their move. He said this in Joshua 3:5 “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you”. Joshua, in essence, told them to clean their spiritual house, to let go of those things that were not of God that they might receive the things glorifying to God. For Israel to be further transformed their old life would have to be left behind. Each day as I awaken Jesus calls me to renounce my old life and daily take up my cross and follow Him. It is a call to consecration.

This kind of consecration calls for a “soul awareness”, an inner life perception that enables one to honestly recognize and appraise the roots of desire, attitude and motivation. It calls for the exposure of the inner world of thoughts and feelings that we often mask in the outer world in order to manage other’s perceptions of us. In the Ignatian “Prayer of Examine”, one is called to recognize, acknowledge and renounce all those things exposed by the Holy Spirit as not of God and to turn away from those things to face God’s loving and purifying gaze. This kind of honest evaluation of the condition of our souls is the very thing Jesus called for when he called His disciples to pay attention to both the roots and fruit of a tree. Good roots produce good fruit, while bad roots produce bad fruit. The things underneath the soil matter to the health and productivity of the tree, so pay attention to what lies beneath.

As you consider this day, what might be the roots beneath the soil to which Jesus is calling you to attend? As Joshua called the people to “consecrate” themselves, what might you need to let go of regarding your old life to better receive the new life God has for you? It may be as simple as taking the first step of opening the closet door in your heart so that the Holy Spirit can point out what needs to be eliminated. It often takes greater strength to open our hands and let go than it does to hold on to what we have grown accustomed to in our lives. May the Lord give you that strength to acknowledge and let go of those things that keep you from following and loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Moving from the present place into the next place carries with it various emotions. There is the anticipation of virgin territory. There is the excitement and hope associated with new beginnings. There is curiosity, wonder, and mystery surrounding this unknown new territory. But there also can be feelings of anxiety and fear that accompany this change from the familiar to the unfamiliar. The sense of letting go what was comfortable and known to step into the new frontier can produce a hesitation and timidity.

God spoke to Joshua at the river Jordan and told him that he was to lead the children of Israel into a new land. It was a land God described as flowing with milk and honey, in other words a good and productive land. It was to be their new home after having wandered for forty years in the wilderness. Israel had been in a perpetual holding pattern, like a plane circling the airport waiting to land. But now the order from the Lord had come and they were to cross this river into this new land filled with promise.

To accomplish this massive move God gave Joshua, at the beginning of the journey, the appropriate encouragement to assist him as he led Israel into the land of Canaan. One vital and particular assurance God made to Joshua was that He would be with him. Joshua 1:5 says this, “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God made sure Joshua knew that on this journey he would never be alone or forsaken. The Lord, as His forever companion, would accompany him. The call to Joshua, based upon God’s powerful, guiding presence, was to be strong and courageous. The strength and the courage to move ahead, leading the children of Israel was provided by the promise of God’s abiding presence. Jesus in the same way, when he commanded his apostles to go into all the world making disciples of all the nations, promised that He would be with them always even to the end of the age.

Too often my reticence to move stems from my fear and anxiety of what lies ahead. I cannot see very far ahead, and what I do see, at times seems overwhelming. To be held captive by my fears is the last thing God intends for me. Instead He calls for an ever-growing faith in His abiding, powerful presence, accompanying me on the journey into the new land He has prepared for me.

Presently, as I watch my daughter and her family “move on” from this place into the next, I realize that, in some ways, every day for each of us is moving day. With each new day we are presented with the wonder and mystery of the unknown, and rather than just trying to sit comfortably in the past we are called to move forward into the next place God has prepared for us. We journey onward knowing we are accompanied, guided and protected by His holy presence. So be strong and courageous and trust that the one who was with Moses, Joshua and the apostles longs to accompany you as well, as you follow Him into the next new place of His provision and care.

As I look at the future it is hard to make out the details of what is ahead. So far, God has not blessed me with vision that goes much beyond the present moment. In my life I am trying to make out the features and shape of things ahead, yet much of what I see is vague.

One of the things that the Lord explained to Joshua was the boundaries of the new place being entered. Boundaries help define the space entered and provide a context for life to be lived. I find, that when the boundaries in my life are vague, my sense of direction and purpose become vague as well. When my boundaries are vague I can encroach upon the space of others and be disruptive to their life and well-being. In fact one of the things I can at times do when I have been invited into the place of listening to another is begin to give unsolicited advice regarding their situation.

I was speaking to a family member on the phone and found myself constantly interrupting his sentences to interject some thought or idea I felt was pertinent and needed. Instead of just being a listening ear I had turned into Dr. Phil. That kind of behavior doesn’t create a sense of authentic dialog, but instead reduces much of conversation to the monolog of advice giving. Boundaries help me to recognize where my space ends and another person’s space begins. Clear boundaries also afford me the opportunity to hospitably invite someone into the space designated as mine and there to allow them to encounter the God I have come to know as love.

I am presently entering a new land, a new space and context to experience the life and ministry God has for me. As I do so I believe the insight from Joshua is to listen for the boundaries God has already established for that space and place and then move into that space with confidence and direction. God has marked out the boundaries and is inviting me to join Him in the space He provides. Where might He be inviting you into new space in which to encounter, experience and express His life and love? How might the Lord want to provide insight into the boundaries for that space?