Moving to Swaziland

So why is it that so many people are afraid to pack up their bags and a move to another place? 

I can remember the first lesson I had to learn about change. It was 1998 and I was in grade 7. That year my mom made me switch from public school to a small private Christian school.  At that time I thought it was the worst thing ever! Shame, my dad even tried to talk my mom out of it. Let’s be real for a moment...At my public school, I had a bunch of friends and no one would mess with me! Not only did I have well known brothers but I could also hold my own. I can remember the year before, sitting in reading class with some snobby chic! It was one of those times, when the teacher had us pass papers back to the person behind us. Well, this “lovely girl” sat behind me and when it came time for me to give her the remaining papers...she decided to make one of those frustrating noises with her teeth. (you know the one you wouldn’t dare do to your parents). Well, at that time clogs were pretty popular. I just remember turning around and slapping that girl hard in the face with my one of my clogs and calmly turning around.  I guess it was instances like this that prompted my mom’s decision. Not to mention, the school also asked my mom to pull me out of their system. Apparently, I was huge distraction to others.

Anyway, so on to my new school. I can remember my first day and pretty much every day after that. I would cry myself to sleep and sometimes even cry in the middle of class. In my little 7^th grade mind, I was going to school with a bunch of losers. I thought it was a school for “special” people. I can also remember the girls going crazy over some dudes that weren’t even cute. Oh and one of my favourite memories...that seriously changed my life...was all these little sheltered kids trying to curse/cuss for the first time.  I was so disgusted by this that I haven’t said another curse word since then! Funny huh!  It really changed my life lol. 

So what do all these crazy memories have to do with moving to another place? I hated my new school and I really really didn’t understand why it was necessary to change schools, even though it was evident to everyone else. When it came down to it, I didn’t want to change my surroundings regardless of how beneficial it was. I was afraid! I loved my friends and I loved the power I had over my circumstances in school. No one messed with me (including teachers) and I was at peace. I had a comfort zone that was like no other! It was truly amazing in my preteen eyes. I can remember adults telling me that “No one likes change.” And I can also remember thinking...okay so why do I have to do this?

I think we are sometimes afraid to try new things in our lives just simply because we don’t want to change our surroundings. Some believer that if we changed what we are familiar with, then we will have little to no control over the circumstances in our lives. And when we don’t have control...we panic! While, that may be true in some areas, its important to remember this- God has made us to be dependent not independent but unfortunately we miss out on opportunities simply because we are afraid to let go and want to be in full control.  I’ve been there...several times in my life. I can proudly say that sense moving to Swaziland, my life has never been the same. I let go of all that so called “control” that I once panicked about and just asked God where does He want me to go and what does He want me to do? I know that I am in the right place at the right time...what about you?