Rashida Wright

There is something exciting about moving. Sure, it’s a pain in the butt to pack up everything and then unpack everything finding a place for each item in your new home. But, the idea of a fresh start always seems like a good idea to me. However, after moving across country twice, unnecessarily, I am ready to have several seats and stay put.

Truthfully, I have always found the forever wanderer alluring. These world travelers always seem to have really good stories, a healthy understanding of various geographies and a litter a friends across the globe. They always seem so experienced, so avante garde, so… not boring.

Then there are the people who just stay put. You know, the ones that never left their hometown. The ones that have worked in the same area forever, the ones that can tell you the whole history of the church and how much change they have seen. In the past, if I can be transparent, I thought those kind of people were, well, uninteresting. To me, they had been living the same old, same old, nothing-really-changing kind of lives. To my naïve brain, they were people who were complacent, never desiring more and happy to settle for less.

I am here to tell you, I was very wrong. Like, wrong wrong. Ignorantly wrong. And if you thought/think like me, you are also wrong.

I have had the chance to live in Atlanta, Austin, Monterrey, Mexico and Los Angeles all within a 6-year time frame and I can honestly tell you, it best to grow where you are planted.

Of course, if God is calling you somewhere else and He’s been showing and confirming to you that yo

u need to be some where else, be obedient and follow His directions. He always knows best. But if you just want to move for the sake of saying you, did it with no true purpose, then I highly suggest you go to God and ask Him what He desires for your life. Trust me.

My move to from Atlanta to Austin was a blessed one. I truly believe this is where He called me to be for a long while. I made friends quickly, at the time of my move. I was able to join organizations I was passionate about and I made the most money I ever made in my life. That’s not to say it was always a bed of roses. I lost a good friend and experienced my first real heartbreak in Texas. But, overall, the move was good for me and my growth as an adult.

But my last couple of moves were questionable. My Mexico experience was good, but I came back stateside with way less money than when I left, which was not the plan. And my move to California was even worse. I not only came back flat broke, but I also came back mentally and spiritually broken. I was tired from the inside and no amount of sleep seemed to fix it. Like I said in my Finding myself in Christ blog, if it weren’t for God, I really don’t know if I would still be here.

Now that I’m back in central Texas, things are not perfect. But, I have a job that covers my bills and He’s still providing for me in other ways (my cell phone service is free and after my car was repossessed, my brother who is currently traveling allowed me to use his paid off car to get around. I’m just responsible for the upkeep and insurance.) Thank God! I literally see Jesus restoring my life, brick by brick now that I have decided to stay put, for the long haul.

So what drove me to move around so much? Why couldn’t I remain in one place? P-R-I-D-E and delusion.

That’s a different blog post, for a different day.

I now have a newfound respect for those that stay put. The ones who stayed the course, hunkered down in their place, and decided to serve where they are. Those really are the pillars of our community. They manage to wade through the mundane, uneventful days and become a part of the stability of the area. They foster deep connections with those around them. They take the time to show up for those who need it most. They facilitate the growth and, if they are kind, they create a warm welcome for the new and weary.

I have finally accepted that I am planted here, and I believe I am in my blooming era. While I still bear the scars from the hurt and pain of the last season, I truly believe God allowed me to have those experiences so that I can learn from them, stop being foolish and appreciate/ be content with where He has me. I went to search for something that I will not find anywhere else but Him and ended up like the prodigal son, wallowing with the pigs hoping to dine on the scraps.

My life is quiet now. I go to work (or work remote, shout out to hybrid life) come home spend time with my family, work on side projects and go to bed. That is my uneventful life. But I get the chance to spend it with my family, with my little sister who is not so little anymore and my mom. I’m back at the church that baptized me in 2021 before my floating adventures and I’m working past my fear to jump in and serve the way I did in LA.

I’m writing all this to say, embrace where you are for the time being. Let God do His work in and around you, no matter how uneventful it seems. When I think about the faithfulness of God, it’s the fact that He can always be found if we choose to seek Him. He never leaves us, He’s right there when we need or want to talk to Him. As children of God, we are to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which includes faithfulness. Our first priority is being faithful to God but the second is being faithful the those around us. Those that embrace staying put and ingraining themselves in the community despite their desires to move are truly exemplifying faithfulness. A real commitment to where they are. I am still a work in progress in this area. But, I am committed to staying put, I’m committed to allow God to bloom me where I am planted for as long as He calls me to this place.

So now I’m asking you, are you trying to bloom where you are planted? Or, are you in a season of movement? Do you think you are aligned for the season God has called you in?