Ask

This post is one I've composed in bits and pieces in my mind over the last month or so. I was explaining to a friend a few weeks ago that this is the method I used to write most of my college papers. By the time the words actually made it onto paper, only one draft was ever needed. I can't really explain it, but that's how I compose things. A few sentences in the car, a few more before I fall asleep, others while in the shower. It's a strange process, but it's how my brain works!

We've now been living in our new apartment for slightly more than three months. Some days it seems like we've been here much longer, and other days it feels like we just moved in. But one feeling that remains the same is that this is home. I can honestly say that I love this apartment more than I've loved living anywhere else since being married. It's cozy, it's simple, it's ideally located for us and it's in an intersection of numerous cultures. Those reasons in and of themselves are pleasant and homey. But I think the most important reason behind the peace we have here is that God opened the door for us to be here, and we said, "yes."

When we began the moving process, we were frequently asked why we would move here. Less space, no dishwasher, no washer/dryer, no garage, etc. etc. I think people meant well in asking those questions, but over time, I began to ask those same questions of God. Why? Why here? Why now, after our family has grown? And then I walked through the door of our new place, and tears began to flow. I know why. Because this is where we are supposed to be. Because God knows what He is doing. Because this is home, and I knew it from the moment I stepped through the door.

Living here means we had to get rid of a lot of things we never needed in the first place. It means that when I wake up and walk outside, it's like walking around the globe. It means that my son will grow up alongside children from other countries with different skin colors, languages and cultural traditions. It means that I am learning discipline to do dishes and wash clothes without the convenience of appliances I used to have. It means that our family has the opportunity to share Jesus, the One who has radically changed our lives for the better, with others who may have never heard.

Now that we live here, the question has changed to, "What's your vision for living there? What's the plan?" Again, well meaning questions. In all honesty, I'm not sure I have a specific answer. My plan is to follow Jesus, to see what He is doing, the places where He is moving, and to join Him there. God has drawn our hearts to this place and has begun knitting us into this community. I'm so thankful.

There's a song that Shane & Shane sing, titled "You Said." Part of the lyrics say:

You said, ask and I'll give the nations to you,

Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart.

Distant shores and the islands will see your light,

As it rises on us.

The cry of my heart, of our hearts, is that truly, people from distant shores will see the Light of the World. He's alive, and He's good, and the knowledge of His glory will fill the earth, as the waters cover the sea (Habakuk 2:14).