- christinepoper
The knitting of your heart to another.
How God blesses the slow process of integration into a new culture or place.
There is a process that happens in your heart when you leave one place and move to another. This can look like moving from one job to another, one town to another, from one church to another, from one family to another (hello to in-laws!) and more.
It takes courage.
It takes grit.
It takes vulnerability.
It can take a few awkward moments!!
But when you know God has called you there and when you have set your heart to love others in this new place, there is a blessing that you can be sure rests on the whole process - as crazy, fun or as uncomfortable and slow as it is.
For me, my most recent transition has been leaving my country (or one of them... shout out to all my TCKs out there!) to live in another. God wrote 'Brazil' on my heart a long time ago but the knitting of my heart to this country requires relationship and the time it takes to know a place and, more importantly, the people within it.
"Honor the space between no longer and not yet." Nancy Levin
This week God revealed to me the significance of my effort in learning a new language. It's been discouraging at times. It requires all the things I mentioned above - courage, grit, vulnerability and, my goodness, some very awkward moments! It's freaking hard sometimes. And it's slow.
But He reminded me of these truths:
Words are so powerful...
This world exists because of God’s Word. We live because of His breath.
Language is powerful...
It is a pillar of unity, a builder of community, a former of allies and empowers cultural expression.
And so each word I learn of this language is one more little stitch, one more binding of my life to a people I still know so little about and yet am giving my heart to.
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..."
Zechariah 4:10
Each stumbling lesson, frustrating conversation or embarrassing silence.
Each time I feel like I’ve made a leap and each week I’m convinced that I’ve backtracked.
Each very human, awkward, or messy moment is one more - sometimes painful - spiritual stitch.
It’s a sacrifice. A laying down. A submission to the Surgeon’s table.
It’s a slow kitting. A stitch here and a stitch there.
Most of the time you don’t even know it’s happening.
The needle isn’t in your hand but rather in the position of your heart.
A lot of the time it looks like just "keeping going."
Knit my heart to this people, Lord.
In the middle of your transitions, may you always be aware of His powerful hand upon your mundane moments. May you never discount the day to day because His blessing is breathed upon it.
We are on the table, under the care of the most skilled of surgeons. And most surgeries are not to be rushed.
Breathe.
Rest.
Keep on "keeping going."
