I was born in the city of Orange, California; I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. Growing up, whenever someone asked where I was born, I proudly claimed California. After all, it was the city listed on my birth certificate.
As a kid, I quickly realized how much people were impressed with that bit of information about me, and it gave me feelings of significance. “You’re from C A L I F O R N I A !”, they would say, “That’s SO far away!” or “That’s so cool!” What I heard was, “You’re so cool!”, and I felt a little more accepted, and sometimes, a little more popular- even if I didn’t have any real memories of this place I claimed.
Where we are from can say a lot about us. It speaks of our family origins and lifestyle. It reflects our language, accents, and customs. Telling you I grew up in the south might help you understand- or even question, certain things about me- like why love grits (especially shrimp and grits), but why don’t I have a southern accent?
My husband was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He went to college in Charleston, SC, and other students would ask silly questions like if he rode an elephant to school. He tried to explain that Sao Paulo is a city bigger than New York City, but they still pictured jungles. So, for a short time he was known around campus as the guy who rode elephants to school.
Where are you from? What is your family heritage?
For most of us, even if the city you were born in or the place you grew up isn’t your favorite place on the map, I’m guessing you feel an attachment to that place. There will always be a special place in my heart for SoCal and Charleston. Filipe will always feel connected to Brazil.
But sometimes God calls us out from that place we are from and the familiar way of life we know. Whether that’s a country, a state, or a neighborhood on the other side of town, there are strong feelings attached with the places we call home for a while.
When we are forced to change our way of life to bend to a new culture, it can reveal our attachment to the way of doing things we hold dear and brings out strong reactions we may have never realized were a part of us. There’s a reason political pundits predict outcomes based on geographical location.
The older I’ve gotten, and the more I’ve moved around, the more I understand what a giant leap of faith Abraham made when he followed God to a new place.
God said in Genesis 12:1-4, “Abram, get up and go! Leave your country. Leave your relatives and your father’s home, and travel to the land I will show you. Don’t worry- I will guide you there…Without any hesitation, Abram went.”
Leaving home can be a scary thing, but often God uses our environment to shape us and grow us into who He’s calling us to be. Whether it’s to reorient us to a new way of life and do something new in us, or just to get us out of an unhealthy environment in which we won’t be able to grow.
I’ve wondered why God couldn’t build a new nation in the country Abram was already living. Maybe it’s because we often have to leave our current comfort to really trust Him and listen to Him with our future.
Sometimes God takes us out of a familiar place because He wants to do something new in us. Yet we still try and carry the old into the new and get frustrated because it doesn’t work out very well. Some pack up their bags and go back thinking they missed something. Others dig their heels in and build a little wall around their lives and insulate themselves from their new culture.
When we move to a new place, do we expect the culture and community to adapt to us or do we adapt to them? How do we know what stays with us and what falls by the wayside? I’m not here to tell you those specifics, that’s for the Holy Spirit to tell you. But it’s worth asking Him to show you. It’s different for each one of us depending on how things have a hold on us and how much they give us our identity and feelings of significance. (And anytime we have too firm of a grasp on anything, anyplace, or anyone, it throws up a red flag for me.)
I’ve had to let go of familiar comforts from my past because either they weren’t necessary or were getting in the way in my new “land”. Some things I was intentional about (like losing an accent), others just fell off naturally (like sweet tea). You also learn to adjust to new cultures and that in the Bay Area you may not find “grits”, but you can find polenta, and did you know it’s the same thing?
What parts of your past culture have you brought into your present? Should they stay with you or should you let go of them?