You stare at the move out date on your calendar a few months from now… So now what?
In the ever-changing landscape of being in my early twenties, life has drastically changed for me every 2-4 years. I moved to a different city after graduating college, moved again after working there for two years, and even still, I’m at a place in life where I’m probably only staying in the city I’m in for another few years before packing up and moving again. Perhaps you can relate to the sentiment of this phenomenon. It’s a strange cycle to be in—putting down roots knowing that this season is only temporary.
If you’re like me, the few months before you know you’ll be leaving are the hardest. Anticipatory loss, desire to disengage while also grasping tight to the people around me are the mixed feelings I’ve typically experienced. It’s not easy walking the line of being physically present when your mind is already one step or state (literally) ahead. What does it matter if I try to meet new people at work? Or reach out to someone who doesn’t have anyone to talk to at church? I’ll only be here for a few more months, my efforts don’t really matter in the long run because I’ll be leaving soon.
These are the lies I’ve repeatedly found myself wrestling with, and they’re lies because Scripture advises otherwise. Jeremiah 29 is a passage I’ve mulled over again and again when I’m in seasons like this. It contains a letter written by the prophet, Jeremiah, to the people of Judah who’ve just been exiled from their home in Jerusalem to Babylon. These people have been temporarily displaced to this foreign land, and this is the LORD’s word of encouragement to them:
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
Jeremiah 29:5-7
What a contrast to where my human thoughts naturally go! God doesn’t say, “You won’t be here long, so you can do whatever you want until it’s time to leave.” These three verses are littered with active commands—build houses, plant gardens, marry, multiply. Even though their time in Babylon was temporary (not to mention, in a place where they don’t even belong and against their own volition), the Israelites were still called to do good work—to become integrated into their community as well as “seek the welfare of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7). Temporary or permanent, wherever God has placed us in the current moment, that’s where we’re called to be faithful.
In Ephesians 2:10, God calls us “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” This is our calling, that which is not circumstance- nor feelings-dependent. We’ve been called by God to do good works in whatever season we’re in even if it’s just for a short amount of time. If you’re like me and you tend to believe that your efforts are in vain, here’s a reminder for us both that God is still using us. He’s called us to these works beforehand, so that we may walk in them right here, right now, not when we’re settled into our new home or the next season of life. Maybe in striking up a conversation with your coworker (who’s about to not be your coworker), you’re actually making his day by being the only person who has asked about how he’s doing all week. Or in saying yes to going to a church gathering, you’re actually opening the door to many more encouraging conversations with younger women of faith. God is still using our faithfulness to him in every small way so his light shines glorious in our communities.
However, that’s not all. Not only is God still using us, but he’s also working in us. As Paul writes to his supporters, thanking them for their partnership in the gospel, he says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). That’s true of us as well, as fellow partakers of God’s kingdom. Once God has started the good work of sanctification—of making us perfect and righteous—in us, he will continue working every single day until the end of our time on earth. That means every action and encounter is not only us doing something for God’s kingdom, but also God doing something to grow us in holiness. Perhaps he’s teaching you patience in the midst of eagerness or believing the truth when lies are so enticing; or even stewardship in the face of apathy. God promises to work in us no matter where we are and however long we’re planning on being in a certain place.
Finally, whether we’re staying or about to leave, for all of us reading this today, our homes and jobs are still only temporary. As God’s beloved children, “our citizenship is in heaven” which means that we’re only travelers passing through the night (Philippians 3:20). Even though this earth, as we know it, is not our permanent home, we’re still called to obey God in loving him and loving our neighbors until the time for redemption has come (Matthew 22:37-39). As much of an uphill battle it is living in a broken world, we, as Christians, have the hope that one day God is going to “wipe away every tear” (Revelation 21:4), mend all that’s broken (Psalm 34:18) and bring peace and justice to the world (Psalms 37:27-29). I hope that this hope in Jesus’ return can be turned into faithful action—that we’d learn to love wherever we are, knowing that our seemingly insignificant actions are a part of God’s glorious plan of redeeming us, as well as redeeming the world through us.
If you find yourself on the cusp of moving to a new city, in between jobs or even just feeling apathetic about your current season of life, I’d encourage you to pray, asking God to reveal to you how you can be faithful or where you can expend your resources in this current time and place. What would it look like for you to trust God in how he’s promised to work in you and through you in this current season of life?
Photo Credit: Emilee Carpenter
Kelley Lee lives in New York City with her husband. After working in college ministry in the Northeast for a few years, she’s now pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology. She’s passionate about getting to know people, traveling and exploring new places, hospitality, seeking beautiful things and helping shine a little bit of light in dark places.
