Stability Isn't Simple

We value good fits. I get nothing less than a thrill out of getting to use my gifts in the company of others also using theirs. We also value stability. While we are shaped by this mobile culture that we live in, we are actively resisting it. We don't want to pack up and move on when things get hard (even though that is always our first idea), because we'll probably find the same demons in the next location.

So, we found the good fit and that is why we came here. It is no doubt a calling to be in this mixed use, diverse neighborhood where we can engage: living, working, worshiping, and perhaps even being a catalyst for the formation of a dynamic intentional community. Hooray! We are so thankful!

But the presence of a good fit doesn't mean the absence of being stretched. Being rooted in a good fit just makes stretching something that can help us have the privilege of growing and moving forward in the sort of life we were created for.

I am learning that stability isn't simple. If it just meant staying in the same place in the same way doing the same thing no matter what, it would be. But stability isn't the same thing as stagnancy. Sometimes going deeper in the same place means taking a close look at how well various parts of the "good fit" are fitting and how they need to change. It is hard to know what to hang in there with. It is hard to know when to let go. It is hard to even know why we might desire one or the other. Shall we jump at every chance to engage with people who really get us and can communicate effectively and easily (and pretty much minimize everyone else)...? Is there something valuable about doing the mucky, clunky work of the opposite?

And what about trying for stability when it's not culturally valued--when the polite thing to do would be to just not be bothered by our tendency to solve problems through mobility? If stability in community means that people will really know us and we can't hide behind our mask or performance (or blog), then it must also mean that the people we know are more known and less able to hide. If stability in community means that we have to learn what it means to be forgiven, it's indirectly asking the same thing of those around us. Yikes.

I guess like most things, stability is a process. With every turn we are understanding it better. We are learning how to be rooted and dynamic at the same time. We are learning that we need space to grow, and trying not to stand in the way of others having the space they need to grow. We are slowly learning to rest and be on the lookout for God's callings, while at the same time diving right into things we notice God already doing.