Do you ever take the place you live for granted? Does the grass always seem greener on the other side? I do and I was reminded of it today. I met with my family and some friends and went hiking in a local state park this afternoon. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the fall colors were really starting to come around. I have grown up in the area my whole life and have grown used to the sights and the craziness that comes with living close to a small tourist town in October. Usually I try to avoid it all costs and wonder why so many people would want to come to this little place on the map. It's really not all that exciting. We don't even have a theme park nearby. Well, as I was walking through the ravines and hollers(yes, I am a country girl ;), I was struck yet again of the beauty of the area I call home. I have talked to several people who are not from Indiana and they have mentioned that they thought it was all flat. Well, I would always tell them that it's not and I happened to be reminded today that I am blessed to live in one of the prettiest parts of the state.
But yet what do I do when people tell me that I am so lucky to live in a place like this?....I sheepishly agree and move on to the next daydream of leaving it to a much "nicer, prettier" place.
In all honesty, lately my mind has been filled with the grandeur of moving to a much better state, somewhere in the South and getting the heck out of where I am at now. Why? Why has the beauty of this place become dull in my mind's eye? Is the grass truly greener elsewhere?
I think often times we take where we live for granted. We get so used to seeing the same things over and over that we get bored and it's beauty loses it spark to us. We go on vacations to other places and dream of what it would be like to live there, but would it over time become the same way if we did? And why is it when we are away for a while, coming home to that dull and boring place suddenly is welcoming and missed? (Now don't get me wrong....vacations are great. I'm just using them as an example.)
I struggle with both to be honest. I so badly want get away sometimes and start a new life somewhere else and then other times, I look at my current home with refreshed eyes and I am happy and content. Even other times, these two are in constant war with each other.
Now it is wrong to want to move somewhere else...of course not! Sometimes life, jobs, love, and opportunities takes us to different places. Sometimes we NEED to leave. But I also believe that God puts us places for a reason. He makes every location beautiful in it's own special way. He wants us to enjoy the mission field He has given us right now, where we are, for however long He wants us to be there. And I think it's a tragedy when we continually sit and wish for what we don't have when He has given us so much already just outside our front door. I think we have to learn the fine balance between being content where we are at and yet ready to go wherever God calls us next if He decides to. All places will have their pros and cons. But if you take the time to just see the beauty of the place you are at each and every day with fresh perspective, being settled however long, won't seem like a cage...it will seem like a chance to make an real impact in your community that you might just get to see the fruit from. So am I proud to be a Hoosier and grateful for all the wonderful people I know because of it in the better part of these past 23 years?
Yes, I am!
How about you?
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