Settle. This
word brings to mind many thoughts: of pilgrims colonizing a new land, of
sediment compressing over time, of consigning oneself to the next best option,
of progressing to a stage in life in which routine is normative. None of those sound very appealing.
I’m the type of person that uses Pinterest to
explore the world, not to peruse wedding dress necklines.
I’m the type of person that legitimately gets giddy
in airports.
I was always up for the next adventure and I can
remember a time in my life when I was downright phobic of 9-5 jobs. (Thankfully, now, I work 7-4.) The thought of staying in America made me feel
trapped. “Settling down” and “putting
down roots” were far off notions. But somewhere
along the way, I got really tired of goodbyes.
I got tired of starting over every 6 months. Getting to know people just enough to love
them and then checking out seemed wrong.
Now here I am…in America…two hours away from the
town I grew up in. It isn't very exotic. Nine months seems like an eternity. I’ve fought this settling thing, going as far
as to treat my apartment as a place to camp out in rather than a home. A nomad’s resting place. I thought that this was what God wanted: Don’t
get attached. You will leave soon
anyway. Don’t get used to luxury.
Recently I have been given the opportunity to move
into a more permanent dwelling. A place
I can most accurately describe as a cottage.
Choosing to take advantage of this opportunity has been quite the
struggle. I have been confronted with
some lies in my heart. But I have
learned that God wants me to invest. If
I go through and think about the different individuals that I have met since
moving to this city, I can easily say, “That is worth my life. That is worth the investment.” No more camping out. I am going to make this house a home. I will invest in these people and this place.
I may someday leave this city. But I am choosing to live this way: If every day of my life is exactly the same
as today, it is still a life that I am more than happy to live for God. This life is worth it. God has given me something great and I dare
not insult his gift by living life anything less than abundantly. Besides, if I do leave someday, I want it to be
hard. Really hard. I want to have a life with so much love that
saying goodbye is painful.
Let the roots grow deep.
