The Unfamiliar
Last week, I wrote about appreciating what’s familiar in our lives. We can often get into a rhythm and routine that finds us eventually taking the good for granted and grumbling about those things we want to change. We dream about a different house, a different season of life, a different job, a new friend… and forget to be grateful for what God has given us.Today, I want to flip the paradigm. Perhaps you’re finding yourself in a new place, a new season, a new job, and are working hard to get your feet back under you. Maybe just having a routine again sounds amazing.Let me encourage you (and me) with 5 things to like about the unfamiliar…
1. Something may be better.Now, don’t roll your eyes… yet. I absolutely trust God with my journey, but I’d still take my previous life back every day of the week.
For those who are in a new season because of the loss of someone you loved, nothing could be better than having them back. I agree 1000%. But aside from the extreme examples, a new job might have a shorter commute; a new place to live might have a nicer neighbor next door or closer proximity to schools.
2. You get to explore.When we enter the unfamiliar, we lose the rut we might have lived in. If it’s a new town, maybe you get to find new restaurants and new fun places to spend a Saturday afternoon. If you’re in a new season of life, perhaps you get to reorder your schedule and see life from a different vantage point. Whether you’re an empty nester, recently retired, new to the working world, or new to the stay-at-home scene, it’s a new world to behold.
3. A new person.Life is about relationships and God is a relational God. No matter what led you to the unfamiliar, it’s very likely God has someone in your new path that you need. Keep a look out for a new, life-giving friendship.
4. A dependence on God.With the familiar, we can move into autopilot. We go through the motions and can accidentally begin to think we’re in charge. When we enter the unfamiliar, we become acutely aware of how much in life we truly can’t control, which leads us to lean into the Lord and trust Him in greater ways.
5. A reset.Have you ever accidentally (or intentionally!) deleted all your texts or emails? It’s both a terrifying and glorious feeling! There’s no telling what you lost, but there’s also no telling what you were saving that you really didn’t need. In that same way, the unfamiliar, by definition, means we’ve left the familiar. It’s a chance to eliminate the unneeded and live a purer, less-distracted life.
Regardless of whether your specific "unfamiliar" is self-inflicted, an answer to prayer, inevitable, intentional, or tragic, we have a choice of how we look at the unfamiliar. The lens through which we choose to view change will dramatically impact how quickly we find peace in our soul. So… here’s to all things new!