Friday, May 17, 2019 – Preparing a Place for Us

My wife, Anna, and I recently moved from Saint Petersburg, Florida to Tulsa, Oklahoma I had lived in the same house since 1981. Anna had lived in Tulsa before but many changes have occurred since she left 22 years ago. Pulling up stakes is always scary. We had a support system in Florida: A Church we loved, family and friends we laughed, cried and served with together. Still, once the decision was made we had work to do.

There was an extreme amount of preparation, most of it was done by Anna. since I was still employed full time. Our days and evenings were consumed by moving!

We hired a realtor. We packed, staged, and made repairs. We donated or gave more things away and discarded broken and outdated “stuff”. To our surprise the house sold in just 10 days! Then the work really began.

A moving company was hired and more things were discarded or given away. The next scary direction we took was to signing a lease for a townhouse, sight unseen.

Our biggest realization was the home we loved was no longer ours. The pictures and mementos we treasure were all packed and the shell of our home was just someplace we slept at night. The experience was both physically and emotionally exhausting.

This brings us to the Gospel of John for today: ” I am going to prepare a place for you“

We all know our true home is Heaven, but did Jesus just say he was going to do the preparation? He will prepare the way. Jesus says ” Do not let your hearts be troubled.” [No worries, Jesus is in charge]. Nonetheless, we cannot relax.

Do we have to do anything? Yes ! Yes, we do!

Saint Thomas asks the question for all of us, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?“

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The most important thing that I can see for you and me today is that the directions we follow hinges around Jesus doing the heavy work and showing us the way. We arrive at His way by prayer and our relationship with Him. Do I say I trust Him and have faith in Him and do I really believe it?

Myself, I trust where I am going and that Jesus has the right direction for me because I believe He has my back. He has yours as well. Wherever, I live on earth, He has prepared the way. Jesus speaks to me in scripture, fellow believers and perfect strangers. I trust in Him because just like Thomas said we do not always know were we are going.

“I am the way and the truth and the life” 

God Bless

Bob Burford

Please pray for our Pope Francis, our bishops and the priests and nuns who serve us in our faith communities.

About the Author

My name is Bob Burford and am married to my lovely bride, Anna. I am a cradle Catholic and worship at Church of Saint Mary's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am active in the Knights of Columbus and praying where the Lord wants both of us to serve in our new faith home. College degrees in Economics and Accounting. My wife and I have eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren with a sixth to arrive this Fall. Love Pope Frances and proclaiming the Word of the Lord in my life! Please pray for all the Ukrainian people. Pray for their salvation and physical and emotional health.

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17 Comments

  1. Wow. Thank you, Bob. I so needed to read this. With all the struggles I’ve been going through with my mother and her health, being away from my daughter, our home being flooded, then just recently being broken into and vandalized, I ashamedly was losing faith. I did not pray as often, I did not attend Sunday mass and did not pray with my daughter. I felt abandoned and alone and punished. One of the things my mother said to me 21 years ago when her and I were stranded in a village, for 4 days, on our way home from being in the hospital for her broken leg, was “We are where we are meant to be”. I’ve repeated that many times. We are where the Lord wants and needs us to be. We need to keep praying for direction and guidance, and not sit and pout, which is what I had been resorting too. What virtue do I need to strenthen and exercise? Quyana (Thank you) Bob.
    (I wanted to share an article that tells a little about the remoteness of where I live. One of the villages mentioned is where I live. It’s a very sad topic but it gives you an idea of the isolated area where I live.

    https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/lawless/2019/05/16/lawless-one-in-three-alaska-villages-have-no-local-police/
    )
    Adore Jesus!!!

  2. Thank you Bob, im on the train to work, 5:55 am here in Australia. Reading this lights up my day. Thank you very much. Have a good day to you.

  5. I’ve read the article you’ve shared, Anonymoose. I felt sad about the current situation in your state. I pray for you and the people in your place. And Anonymoose, I hope you speak with God as you would a friend. He’ll meet you where you are. Thanks, for the insight, Bob.

  6. Thanks Bob, reading this in Stratford-upon-Avon, England while recovering from my morning run.

  8. May the Burfords find happiness in their new home. Thank you Bob and good luck with the move!

  9. Thank you Bob. I understand the emotions of moving. I left a beautiful small parish in Terre Haute, Indiana and moved to Lexington, Kentucky. I am searching and open to God’s plans for me in Lexington. Your words were helpful to my journey.

  10. Thank you for this reflection! Just sent a text to my daughter who needed to remember Jesus has her back! Enclosed with prayers for you and your wife, for your readers and especially for anonymoose and his family.

  11. Bob, sit back relax and enjoy the ride. Let HIM lead and guide you. God Bless you and your family.

  12. Bob, Thank you for your reflection today. I printed it and will give it to my mom tomorrow. She is 91 and in the process of selling her condo which she loves and which represents independence to her. She will be moving into an independent senior living apartment on June 1. She made the decision herself to move, but is struggling to let go of what she has, even though she knows the advantages of why she chose to move. Even when our faith and beliefs are strong, when we are anxious or stressed or unsure of our decisions, it helps to be reminded that He is in charge and has prepared our way.

  13. Anonymoose, Thank you for sharing your story and the attached link. If I walked in your shoes, I think I would give up. You are very brave considering what you have been going through. In Canada, there are people who live in the North who are experiencing the same trials as your community. When I see that on television, I often ask why a wealthy country like Canada neglects its first peoples. You asked what virtue you needed – I believe you already have that virtue. It’s called PERSEVERANCE. You have it. And don’t feel bad about ‘losing faith’, we’ve all been there for lesser trials than yours. I had my share of moving constantly due to unforeseen circumstances, and I wondered if I would ever settle down. Well, it took several years, but finally, the Good Lord granted me respite. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Keep the faith, don’t give up. Keep sharing your story. God will strengthen your resolve to trust Him. God bless you.

  14. Bob, good luck to you and your wife in your new home. I’m sure it won’t take you long to make new friends in your community. I’ve lived my entire life within a 35 mile radius. As scary as it could be to move, I also think it would be a great adventure. Right now, my children and grandchildren are nearby so I don’t want to move away while the grandchildren are so young. Maybe sometime in the future. If that’s what God plans.
    Anynomoose, my prayers continue to be with you and your family. It’s during these times when we feel so alone that Jesus is near, walking beside us. Try not to lose faith. Thank you for the article. It was very eye-opening.

  15. Welcome back, Bob! I was wondering if you had gone on hiatus, and now I see why: major life change. Why did you move to Tulsa when it seems that all that was near and dear to you was in St. Pete’s?

  16. Answer to A!
    Our daughter and granddaughter moved back to Oklahoma in November of 2018. We found that of the 8 grandchildren we have, four live in Oklahoma. We will soon have 4 great grandchildren and all of them live in Oklahoma. The move was prayerful but has turned out to be a major blessing.

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