I have a small town heart. I always have.

I love the country. The wide open spaces call to me. The country sunsets make me smile. A big front porch makes me feel at home.

I have a small town heart.

I was raised in a small town; this is a town in which everyone is at the high school football game on Friday nights. A town in which everything closes by 10pm. A town of routine, a place of stability.

I used to thrive off of this, me and my small town heart. I knew nothing else.

But my dreams don't fit into a small town anymore.

I never thought I'd say that. Of all the people, I never thought I'd be one of the few to leave.

My dreams and my career goals don't place me in a small town at this point in my life.

You see, when you leave for college, you are forever changed. You become friends with people you never would've come across in your comfort zone. You learn about new cultures, gain new ways of thinking, and grow as a person. Sometimes this growth means growing out of what you have always known. For me, it meant outgrowing living in a tiny town, even if only for a short period of time.

Don't misunderstand me -- I still love the country. I still go home when I can. I still love the sunrise over the open fields and the crickets at night. I love seeing the stars in the wide open sky. But now, I also love the promise of new adventures. I have fallen in love with learning new things and watching myself become the person God wants me to be.

There is nothing wrong with living in a small town. I'm forever grateful for my hometown and for my upbringing. My hometown is a huge part of who I am. The idea of living in the country still calls to me. Who knows, I may eventually move back. I won't pretend to know the future. I won't pretend to know where God may lead me.

However, at this point, life is taking me further away from my hometown. Life is taking me to different places, to new adventures.

My heart clings to that small town I was raised in, but my dreams are carrying me to new places.

So, to all of you who can relate, take heart. Let your spirit be at rest. Chasing your dreams doesn't mean forgetting where you come from. There should be no guilt in growth. Chasing your dreams means stepping out on faith and learning more about yourself, and life, than you ever thought possible.