Memphis Chronicles: The Switch

One thing I have been forced to learn this summer is how to adapt into various cultures on a daily basis. As some of you may know, I enjoy routine and I like consistency in my life. To say the Lord has taught me much about letting go of that control would be an understatement! Depending on the day, I find myself one minute sitting with a lively Vietnamese couple eating eggrolls, then sitting drinking chai with a Somalian family, then returning home to my house in the inner city while being bombarded with questions from the neighborhood kids about what my life is all about. Then there are days when I eat meals or spend time with friends in east Memphis in mansions bigger than I have ever walked into before. (The "sweet" southern life is fantastic) In the midst of all this transition, I know this is not real life for me at all. This is not normal, and I will once again switch back life at school (for one more year).

I struggle with transition, and I struggle with change. I want badly to deepen my roots and build relationships that do not end after a short season. Change makes me want to keep my distance and look ahead for what is next, rather than be wholly where I am at. I look at the life of Jesus and know he never had a permanent home, and that he loved people so deeply that his entire life was testimony of the father's love. 

I want to love without hesitation, to serve without reservation. What do I take from here? How do I transition here from my last week of my internship into my last year at JBU?

One thing is sure. I worship a God that is unchanging, my rock which I will lay my foundation. Whatever changes or transitions lie ahead, I will not be shaken-for my God is one that has been faithful to me every step the way. I will take each day with great expectation that the Holy Spirit will show up and give life to the lifeless, food to the hungry, and hope for the hopeless. I know this to be true because I myself am often lifeless, hungry, and in great need of hope. I will continually secure my deepest satisfaction in him, because I have chased the cheap and been left wanting.

Here's to tomorrow, whatever it may bring...