Staying put.

I have been thinking a lot about staying put lately... Because that's what we're doing. We've been here in this city for almost 6 years (longer than anywhere else I've lived except the place I was born), and God is giving us more. And this isn't the dream I dreamed all those years, but I'm realizing that this life of staying put is better than I imagined. Our dream was always to go and I'm desperately feeling the itch now. But it sure seems like God is calling us to stay. This blog post captured some of my thoughts and I thought it worthy to share:

http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-i-radically-stay-put/

Not that I really think what we're doing is "radical", but it is hard and it is beautiful. And I'm coming to terms with this dream that I never dreamed, this dream of community and breaking bread together and the hard conversations and the transformations and the coming and leaving of others and the beauty of babies being born and children growing up around us. The dream of the change of seasons, again, and the knowing of the streets around this home we've lived in for two years now (longer than I've lived in one house since my parents') and the pain and the beauty. I'm learning more about myself every day. I'm learning to trust God in new and different ways every day.

[I was just reminded that this blog is called "Life in the City" and my old blog was something like "Elise - Viaje" (trip/travel). Interesting]

And now we're off all day to learn and talk more about investing in our community and growing this little group we call a house church. And one of my coworkers expressed how she was sorry I had an all day "meeting" for church today... And I realized how much I was looking forward to it, even though it's a meeting. Our community is beautiful and things are happening and it's so exciting, and so even though I see these people two or three or four times a week, I love it and I love them.

So we'll stay put as God is leading us. And I'll cry when I miss the friends/family that are scattered across the country and the world and my heart will jump every time there's an update about the work they're doing. I'll live vicariously through them and try even harder to love those around me.