Transitions

For the first time in my life I'm living in the country.

I look outside and a sea of corn meets my gaze. Cows wallow in the pond near the road, and horses flick flies away with their tails. Barns and silos dot the horizon, and the sunsets and stars are glorious. I love it.

Every day as I drive into town and back again, I cherish the time of transition. To have the opportunity to unwind after a long day, to think, to worship, or simply to roll the windows down and let the delicious breeze stroke my face. My heart swells as I drink in the simplicity of it all, feeling overwhelmed by grace. That I can be here, play a part in this community, and continue old friendships right where they left off. That I get to attend my same church, love the same people, yet still be pushed and challenged with a completely new life.

It's odd to think that just a few months ago I was living in the city: sirens, honking, taxis, and hundreds of people crossing my path every day. During long commutes in Budapest, I frequently had the same heart-swell, drinking in the complexity, the hustle and bustle, feeling overwhelmed by grace just the same: to be there, where I understood so much, loved so much. To attend my church I love, to worship in another language, yet Mine still the same, and to have a place where I was still pushed and challenged.

But my heart still longs for Home. A place where I will truly fit. And it's hard to realize that I am a traveler on this earth, no matter how long I stay someplace, and no matter how deep my roots go. I am blessed to find joy in the journey, to feel so fulfilled in such different places, and to feel so at peace with where I am as I try to keep an eternal perspective.

I am learning to embrace transitions, to celebrate the newness of change. I am thankful for dear friends and family who come alongside of me and challenge me upwards and onwards, making my transitions shorter and my life fuller.