During our wedding, some friends of ours sang the Rita Springer song, “If You Say Go.”
The chorus goes as follows:
If you say “go,” we will go. If you say “stay,” we will stay. If you say “step out on the water,” and they say, “it can’t be done.” We’ll fix our eyes on you, and we will come.How exciting! That song made us feel brave and bold in believing for huge things that would defy the odds! On that day, we committed to follow God together for a lifetime, wherever He may lead. We were open to anything…foreign or domestic. Whatever God had for us, we were ready. (And, for the record, we still are.)
Flash forward several years later, and we still live in the same house we came home to after our honeymoon. Same couch. Same appliances (thankfully! Knock on wood…). Same bed. I even have some of the same clothes! But…Chad won’t let me wear them. 🙁 What was once shiny and new is now broken in and familiar.
The idea of being led by God to somewhere new often seems very appealing, romantic, and brave. A new adventure! A new challenge to conquer! In comparison, staying can just seem so…stale. Mundane. Boring. And honestly, who wants that to be the hallmark of their life?! Blooming where you’re planted doesn’t quite have the appeal as forging uncharted territory.
Most of the days of our lives in any given season will look largely the same, sun up to sun down. For instance, in the season of life that I’m currently in, I do pretty much the exact same thing every Monday. Wake up, get our son set up for the morning, get Chad off to work, pick up our house, do some laundry, go to the grocery story, fix lunch, wrestle a toddler down for a nap, write a blog, start dinner, welcome Chad home, go see my evening clients, come home and watch The Bachelor (because we have a taste for trashy TV at our house). Ta-da! It’s almost as exciting to live as it was to read. (Just kidding…I actually enjoy Mondays usually!)
Recently I’ve been challenged by that song again. Can the “staying” feel as brave and bold as the “going”? I want to always champion obedience above the thrill of “new.” (Not that they are at all mutually exclusive.) Staying or going…new or same…that’s not the most important factor. Obedience is what matters. It’s about faithfulness. Obedience and faithfulness in where we are, with what God has put on our plate. It’s as simple as that.
What about you? Do you ever get caught up in looking for something outside of the reality of your life to give you excitement? Do you struggle with laying hold of the “bloom where you’re planted” mentality? I whole-heartedly believe that untold riches lie beneath the surface if you can dig deep and really engage in this current season of life.If you want to be more faithful with what’s before you in this season of life, here are a few ideas.
- Focus on the pockets of excitement in your day. Going to Walmart: not my cup of tea. But I really enjoy several of the other activities of my day, and so I make it a point to look forward to those and not fall prey to negative self-talk in the more mundane tasks. Negative self-talk will really wreck your sense of satisfaction in life.
- Engage with God in how to help life on earth be more reflective of his kingdom. Who do you (or Could you) run into on a regular basis that could really benefit from a bit of heaven coming to earth through some practical means? Plug-in more deeply to the lives of those around you…friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members. If you feel bored with your life, it’s probably because you’re not very engaged in the lives of others.
- Look beyond external circumstances as bringing invigoration to your life, and draw closer to the Father of adventure. If you feel like you have a heart for adventure but you’re not having access to it in your daily life, ask God to surprise you…in the season of life that you’re currently in. This may most simply start with praying more.
If you ever want to discuss this topic or any other more fully, I can be reached here. https://open.spotify.com/track/1MW8siqtOdnDQUfPRgIgtZ
