Most of the time we think that home is the place we spend most of our lives, the place we have always known. The place we have always shared memories with the people we loved, and the place where we feel comfortable. What if I told you that's not exactly the case? What if I told you, "home", means so much more? Let me explain.
1. You get to meet new people.
I cannot tell you how many times I have told myself I wanted to stay close to the people I knew, and that was it for me. WAS I WRONG. Through the transition of moving states/to college, I have met so many amazing people that I never dreamed of meeting before I opened my eyes up to the real world. There are people out there to meet, to develop friendships with, to love, to care for. We were created to meet new people, to make friends, to fellowship together. And no, that's not just with the people you have been around your whole life. There are people out there who need you, and you need them, whether you realize it or not.
2. You get to experience new cultures.
There is more to life than just the town you were raised in, or that you have been around your whole life. That is the sad, but true fact about living. We were created to experience new things, develop new ideas, and get to know other people and where they come from. We were created to experience the differences in each culture, and become familiar with it. Cultures are a HUGE part of life, and they were meant to be experienced by us as human beings. As Christians, how are we supposed to spread the gospel to someone if we don't even know where they come from, or what they stand for? It is something to think about.
3. You can get out of your comfort zone.
I don't know about you, but sometimes the same place just gets boring. The same thing, over and over again. That's a natural instinct in us, but somehow we tend to ignore it. That moment when you're just tired of the same thing all of the time, and you need a change. It happens and it's supposed to happen. Yet, we ignore that feeling, and keep camping out in our little "comfort zone". That's not how life was meant to live. Life was meant to be explored, learned, and embraced. How will we do that when we can't even get out of the one place we never have seen to give to God, and branch out? Just a thought.
4. You get to experience new opportunities.
Opportunities come the moment you start going out and searching for them. You have to put all of your heart and soul into something in order to succeed in what you want. If you want an opportunity in something, you have to be willing to make sacrifices. What is most important to you? What is something you love? Is it worth giving up? Is it worth giving a try? Will I grow spiritual/physically/emotionally? These are questions we should ask ourselves daily in our lives, and towards the things that we need to change. The rest of your life, or comfort? You pick.
5. God never meant for you to stay at home in the first place.
In the book of Matthew when Jesus says to "go into ALL the nations," do you actually think He was lying? He never meant for you to stay in one place your whole life. If He did, why would He have told His disciples that to pass down to us? How are we going to build up God's kingdom if we stay in our comfort zone? We were not meant to. It is not our jobs as Christians to stay in one place. That is not how it was meant to work, nor will it ever be.
Yes, circumstances can keep you from not doing these things. And yes, God knows that. If God has called you to stay in a certain place, praise the Lord! God just wants you to experience new life and new beginnings. Change is meant to happen, not to be ignored. Life is meant for learning and obstacles, not for the "easy way out". We can't grow without God, and we can not grow without different seeds in our life. That comes with time, and experiences. Do not be afraid to spread your wings and fly, it might just change your life forever.
"Here am I, send me." - Isaiah 6:8
