“Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” — Hebrews 11:16
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A friend of mine has recently entered the NCAA transfer portal and is in the process of looking for a new school to finish out his college experience. While his current university has certainly offered him some great moments and athletic opportunities, he has come to the conclusion that his time there has ended and the school can no longer give him the educational and sports experiences he is looking for.
This has me thinking lately about how life often presents us with similar moments — times when we know that the current situation can no longer offer us the life or the opportunities we want. Our season at that job, school, team, church, relationship or friendship has run its course and it is no longer expedient to remain there without compromising our personal goals, values, abilities and effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.
Now, it’s important to remember that there are times when we need to persevere in situations that are less than ideal. God sometimes asks us to endure in a certain environment longer than we’d personally like to because of things He wants to teach us or use us in. However, I think sometimes we have a tendency to stick around in various circumstances longer than we should, simply out of a sense of loyalty or the feeling that we can’t give ourselves permission to go look for what we want somewhere else.
God has made it clear that He came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). That includes doing life with people who are headed in the same direction and putting ourselves in the right environments where we can be the most effective and where we can grow and thrive.
If the situation you’re currently in does not lead to selfless behavior, if there is a spirit of condemnation instead of love, if there is not joy in the mission, if there is not shared objectives and vision, if the actions of others constantly put you in a position where you’re asked to compromise your beliefs, if the gifts and message God gave you to bless the world are silenced and overlooked, then perhaps it’s time to enter the transfer portal and look for a different group. This may or may not mean leaving the location you’re in altogether. But it should mean you’re open to giving yourself permission to seek something better.
It all comes down to what you want more, and sometimes you need to go find that elsewhere. Uprooting isn’t always comfortable or convenient, but there are seasons when it’s necessary. Once you discover the kind of life God wants you to live, what type of people can help you get there, and what sort of environment is conducive to achieving that, all the trouble to pursue that is worth it. And it becomes a bit easier to step away when a situation has outlived its time.
— Katherine Singer
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