On Community and the Next Chapter
I just spent the morning packing with my best friend while my kids played with their little friends. The kids are staying for lunch and I have the house to myself for a few minutes, so it seems like a good time to write this post. It's been on my mind for days. It needs to be said, both for the sake of the people who have helped shape us in the last few years, and for my sake.
The day of Micah's interview, he read from Deuteronomy 4. The Israelites were about to enter the promised land, and God was giving them directions for their future there (in hindsight, what a fitting passage!). He reminded them of all the things that they had learned in the years leading up to that time, and cautioned them to remember those things in this new land. It struck a cord with us, and we've found ourselves calling to mind all the things we've learned in our time in Marion.
The past three years have been some of the most formative years of our lives. As Micah says, our calling has been forged here in Marion. God has moved and worked in our hearts to give us specific callings and passions that could not have been shaped elsewhere. We have learned to live in community--not only surrounded by people, but dependent on them. We've learned to open our home and share generously, sometimes sacrificially. We've learned what it means to celebrate with those who celebrate and mourn with those who mourn. We've cared deeply enough that we haven't mourned on their behalf, but mourned with them. Their successes have been our successes, their failures have been our failures. We've learned to live modestly for the benefit of others. We've learned to invest in the long-term good of others, accepting them as they are, but pushing them to grow. We've learned to share our family, to stand by and rejoice as others enjoyed our children. We've learned to let them speak into our children's lives, knowing that they had wisdom and insight to offer in ways our children would never hear from us. We've learned to love the city where we live, and to seek the prosperity of this place. We've learned to be content in the midst of struggles, knowing that we will always have enough. We've learned to lean on others and accept help when we couldn't carry the weight alone. We've learned the beauty and joy of friendship. Maybe most meaningful for me, we've learned to put down roots, to envision a long future and dig deep into the lives of the people around us.
This is not a "goodbye" post to Marion. This is not to thank those who've played such a huge role in our lives for their investment, and to move on to the next chapter. It's the opposite of that. This post is to remind us, and you, that we will be taking you with us. These things we've learned--vague as they may be here--are tied to specific memories and people. You have shaped us, and you will go on shaping us. We have learned from you how to be generous, committed, loving, selfless, content, joyful, dedicated... You've had a part in shaping who we are at our core, and we will remember you (and thank God for you) each time we see those things in ourselves.
We know our new home will not be the same. We will miss these people we've loved so dearly. But we will take these things with us. We will love the place where we live, and seek the prosperity of that city. We will be generous, seeking ways to show hospitality. We will invest in others long-term, knowing they will grow but loving them as they are. We will laugh, mourn, celebrate, and pray with those around us. We will help carry their loads and let them help us with ours. All of these things we learned from you, Marion friends. We are different people, and we could not be more thankful for the community that has forged our character and our calling in the past three years. May you be blessed, so blessed for your faithfulness!
The day of Micah's interview, he read from Deuteronomy 4. The Israelites were about to enter the promised land, and God was giving them directions for their future there (in hindsight, what a fitting passage!). He reminded them of all the things that they had learned in the years leading up to that time, and cautioned them to remember those things in this new land. It struck a cord with us, and we've found ourselves calling to mind all the things we've learned in our time in Marion.
The past three years have been some of the most formative years of our lives. As Micah says, our calling has been forged here in Marion. God has moved and worked in our hearts to give us specific callings and passions that could not have been shaped elsewhere. We have learned to live in community--not only surrounded by people, but dependent on them. We've learned to open our home and share generously, sometimes sacrificially. We've learned what it means to celebrate with those who celebrate and mourn with those who mourn. We've cared deeply enough that we haven't mourned on their behalf, but mourned with them. Their successes have been our successes, their failures have been our failures. We've learned to live modestly for the benefit of others. We've learned to invest in the long-term good of others, accepting them as they are, but pushing them to grow. We've learned to share our family, to stand by and rejoice as others enjoyed our children. We've learned to let them speak into our children's lives, knowing that they had wisdom and insight to offer in ways our children would never hear from us. We've learned to love the city where we live, and to seek the prosperity of this place. We've learned to be content in the midst of struggles, knowing that we will always have enough. We've learned to lean on others and accept help when we couldn't carry the weight alone. We've learned the beauty and joy of friendship. Maybe most meaningful for me, we've learned to put down roots, to envision a long future and dig deep into the lives of the people around us.
This is not a "goodbye" post to Marion. This is not to thank those who've played such a huge role in our lives for their investment, and to move on to the next chapter. It's the opposite of that. This post is to remind us, and you, that we will be taking you with us. These things we've learned--vague as they may be here--are tied to specific memories and people. You have shaped us, and you will go on shaping us. We have learned from you how to be generous, committed, loving, selfless, content, joyful, dedicated... You've had a part in shaping who we are at our core, and we will remember you (and thank God for you) each time we see those things in ourselves.
We know our new home will not be the same. We will miss these people we've loved so dearly. But we will take these things with us. We will love the place where we live, and seek the prosperity of that city. We will be generous, seeking ways to show hospitality. We will invest in others long-term, knowing they will grow but loving them as they are. We will laugh, mourn, celebrate, and pray with those around us. We will help carry their loads and let them help us with ours. All of these things we learned from you, Marion friends. We are different people, and we could not be more thankful for the community that has forged our character and our calling in the past three years. May you be blessed, so blessed for your faithfulness!
