Change of Address

Moving to a new home seems exciting . . . at first. 

Then reality sets in: merely changing one’s address can take months to ensure it’s been updated everywhere it needs to be. The act of packing and unpacking one’s belongings is a Herculean feat that taxes both brain and body. And then there’s the financial aspect: the cost of the actual move (gas and possibly truck rental, at minimum), funding a security deposit or securing a loan, and all the fees associated with setting up the new place—utilities, furnishings, repairs, and replacing items that can’t be moved. 

My husband and I recently undertook the task of relocating to a new state. In addition to all the logistical aspects of moving, we’ve also been starting over with new medical providers, new banks, new church, new neighbors (and, hopefully, new friends). We’re in the throes of building a new life.

I’ve long loved 2 Corinthians 5:17 for its promise of new life through trusting the redemptive, regenerative work of Jesus. As someone who came to faith after college, I had a keen awareness of how my old life wasn’t pleasing to God. It was easy for me to get mired in shame and regret until I realized He made me new. That verse helped me live fully in light of the forgiveness I’d received and to embrace His work in me as a new creation. 

The act of relocating and building a life in a new place has awakened me to some spiritual similarities. Like the act of moving that occurs at a point in time but affects everything that comes afterwards, my salvation (secured many years ago) continues to grow and shape my new life forever:  

• Though the boxes of my former wrongdoings have been packed and sent to eternal storage on the shoulders of my Savior, I (unfortunately) acquire more every day and must jettison them through ongoing conversation with Him. 

• Though I reflexively use my former address when I inadvertently behave in a way that reflects my old life (oops—sent a package to the wrong state!), I ask Him daily to help me to “put on the new self” that embodies His “true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). 

• Though Jesus paid my moving expenses in full—and expects no repayment—I honor His sacrifice by bringing Him my adoration and trust on both the good days and the difficult ones. 

When we trust in Jesus, our permanent address is forever changed: we become citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). But that new life doesn’t just await us there—it begins immediately and shapes every moment that follows. What’s more, we have the Spirit, who doesn’t leave us alone with the task of building our new lives but instead takes up residence in our hearts to inspire, equip, and enable us to live anew. 

—Written by Kirsten Holberg. Used by permission from the author.