Believe it or not, some people thrive on change.
I count among friends people like this. People who aren’t content to stay put for too long, be it geographically or in their working life. People who aren’t unsettled when something different comes their way, but who embrace the difference and make the best of their circumstances.
As you can probably guess, I am not one of those people.
Left to my own devices, I change very little about my life and surroundings. While some chase after the latest technology, I cheerfully use obsolete devices until such time as they refuse to function (something that happens quicker and quicker these days, alas and alack). I rarely remodel, redecorate, or even rearrange furniture in my home. All three of my pregnancies were surprises. In short, I leave my comfort zone only when God makes it abundantly clear that I have no choice. Not infrequently, a great deal of kicking and screaming is involved.
I’ll give but one example. I met my husband while attending graduate school in Illinois. After I graduated, we got married, bought a house, and put down roots. We thought Illinois was home, and for several years, it was. We loved our church, we had some great friends, and my husband was commuting to a school in Chicago and making steady progress toward his degree.
But then we had a baby. A colicky, high-need baby. We were hundreds of miles away from either set of parents. My husband’s part-time income plummeted. And with the aforementioned colicky, high-need baby, neither of us were comfortable with him commuting to Chicago, so he put his degree on pause. In short, everything unraveled in the short span of a few months. One night, it became crystal clear: Illinois was no longer where God wanted us. He was getting ready to put us somewhere else.
That somewhere else turned out to be somewhere I never thought I’d live again: my hometown. And to be honest, when we came back, I felt like I had flunked adulting in some key way. After all, once you make it out of here, you’re not supposed to come back, right?
Except come back we did, and God has blessed us abundantly. We’ve added two more children (neither of whom were colicky as babies, thankfully), we both have jobs we love, we bought another house that works far better for our family than the old one would have. We live only a few minutes away from my parents, who are able to be an integral part of my kids’ lives, to the immense benefit of all involved. We’ve made some great friends. I got back in touch with my middle school bestie, who, over the years, became my writing mentor/critique partner. In nearly every facet of our lives, and in ways both large and small, God had proven over and over again that He has us right where He wants us.
Not all discontent and discomfort means God wants to move you, of course. This is where prayer for wisdom and discernment come in. Sometimes God will leave you in the midst of an uncomfortable situation in order to grow you. In that case, He will enable you to stick it out, and in due time, you will reap the harvest He has planned for you.
But I’ve found that when situations that were fine suddenly aren’t, when a place where you were once a perfect fit now feels makes you feel like the proverbial square peg in the round hole, when everything suddenly seems to be coming apart…sometimes that’s God’s gift in disguise. His answer to our prayer for guidance. He may be preparing you for a new career. A new church. Maybe even a whole new location.
Are you feeling restless and discontent?
Buckle up. God just may be getting ready to take you for the ride of your life.