New In Town

      Have you ever been the new person at school? As you walk down the halls everyone seems to be connected to some invisible fabric you don’t possess. Or maybe you have just arrived, new in town. In the morning as the town seems to wake up, happy strangers walk by waving at one another. Happy children run past racing toward a yard just beyond. Unnoticed you stand almost invisible as the friendly animated scene plays out in front of you. 

   Have you ever went on a walk in the late afternoon with no one to walk home to or anything special to do. Suddenly you felt enveloped by the smell of hot meat barbecuing on a charcoal grill, and the cheerful sound of friends laughing together. The squeal of children and the happy bark of the family pet seemed to beckon you to join the party.  But reality hits and you remember, I am an outsider. Taking a step out on your own can be lonely.

     How do we get here to the new? To take a step in that direction we have to say good-bye to the known. In the dream stage before any risk has actually taken place new looks slender and romantic, even exotic. Life would be so much more exciting if I just had the opportunity to… But when you finally gather the courage to take the leap, sign the papers, accept the new job there is the gray period, the new man’s land. Don’t get me wrong, new is exciting just like you dreamed. It is also unknown so adjustments are required.

     When I dream it is all fluffy puffy clouds, but when I actualize the vision I discover I need to put my shoes on. To walk this ground, it is uneven and jagged at points. Despite the struggle, when I actually decided to step out, it is rewarding.

     Some people are good at navigating new land, they are called nomads. For the rest of us, we spend a lot of energy to gain the courage to move forward to the next assignment and then we try to settle down. Plant trees, build a house we plan to never leave, and try to avoid being uprooted again with all our might. Human nature doesn’t really like change that much, but God the creator does.

Notice the seasons of the year. In the Midwest, the seasons are dramatically different. Midwesterners scurry around to prepare for the next coming season with both joy and dread.

 “I love summer, except for the mosquitoes.”

“Fall is beautiful with the leaves changing color, but then I have to rake them all up.”

“Winter is beautiful, until Christmas but after that, I just wish it could be Spring again.”

Spring is here finally, but I hate all the dreary rainy days.”

     Bunch of complainers you might think, and you would be right. Change is exciting but also demanding. We have to stretch to accommodate the change. I guess as I sit here writing I am thinking about the fear of change that sometimes overwhelms me. I would like to remain comfortable right here in my comfy chair with all the things that make me feel safe, but God has a greater plan. A destiny for you and me to live a life of adventure.

“For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

     As I went on a walk today with my daughter I enjoyed the cool breeze of autumn and the busy chatter of a ten-year-old girl as we listened to the songs on shuffle booming out from my phone. Suddenly a musical phrase filled the air, “Lord I will go where you send me…” It captured the adventure in my heart in that brief moment, and I replied to the jingle, “Yes, Lord I want to go where you send me.” My daughter stopped talking and stared at me inquisitively.

“Lydia, that song is a missionary’s heart to be ready to go when the Lord calls, I want to be ready.”  

   

     In truth, I have grown very fond of my simple predictable life. But in that instant, I was reminded that I was made for more. Made for more than sitting down every night to watch my favorite show, or to spend my evenings curled up with a book. There is a whole world out there that is waiting to be explored. The road may be lonely but it might also just turn out to be wonderful. If you haven't fulfilled every dream in your heart, maybe there is something more out there waiting for you to discover. 

As we walked through the crunch of fallen leaves, I felt that stirring. Like glittery dust off angel wings or the airy whisper of the Lord reminding me He knows more than I do. He dreams bigger than I do. Unlike me, He's not afraid of change or being new in town. 

"Steady my heart to trust, just steady my heart to trust."