1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG) Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

I woke up this morning pining and missing my home having relocated a year and a half ago. I missed the familiarity of a place I knew, I did not want to go through a getting to know people all over again. Not that I cannot function with newness but I would prefer to not function with newness! Not right now. Despite trying to reassure myself that my immediate family was here and that was all that mattered, my mind screamed otherwise. I started picturing myself in my familiar kitchen cooking and just wanting life to go back to what it was a year and a half ago. That was when it hit me that I was doing a grave injustice to myself. It hit me that I was allowing an ungrateful spirit to take me over. Despite the familiar things which were inconsequential (mind you) I was in the best place in umpteen years. I was rebelling against a situation that allowed me to grow in a spiritual way. A situation that allowed me to find peace and joy, a peace and joy that was proving difficult to find when I was home. Rebelling against a situation that allowed me to find me. I realized that God placed me exactly where I needed to be in this present moment and I was complaining (albeit in my mind) like the children of Israel.

Change is sometimes challenging and daunting for the best of us but we only need to remind ourselves of where we use to be and what we do not want to return to. 

As Christians we long for the regular routine of the world even though it is sometimes to our detriment. We long for the familiar life that will allow things we do not want to partake in as Christians into our space; the familiar conversations with our familiar friends that leads to gossip to use an example. There is a saying that familiarity breeds contempt. Is it at all possible to conceive that God is taking us from this kind of situation that encourages people to take advantage of us?

So after berating myself and embracing my circumstance I now return to the present and thank God for where I am. I thank him in advance for the new memories I am creating as I write this. I thank him for the impact that I am being prepared to create in the lives of new friends. I thank him that my family is together and that is all I need right now. I thank him for taking me away from a situation that was distracting me from my purpose. I thank God for this present moment.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG) Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.