No Matter Where You Go, There You Are
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
“Wherever you go, there you are.”
I have no doubt that everyone who has not lived their life on a desert island has heard this worn out cliche, or some variation of it.
Yet, as is so often the case, this saying has become a cliche because it it is obviously true. In every moment, and in every place, we are always ourselves, neither more nor less.
We do not transform as if by magic into a completely different person merely by changing locations. All that we are—all our hopes, all our dreams, and all our fears necessarily come along for the ride.
No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.
Whatever God calls us to do, whatever plan He has for our lives, will always be there as well.
When Jonah fled to Joppa to escape God's calling, God called him even there. God's calling followed Jonah onto the ship bound for Tarshish. God's calling followed Jonah even into the depths of the ocean. There, in the belly of a great fish, Jonah finally listened to God's call, repented, and vowed to do as God had commanded.
When the Apostle Paul encountered the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus admonished him, pointing out that “it is hard to kick against the goads.” Paul—then Saul—had struggled against God's Word, persecuting many of the early Christians. Yet eventually he could no longer ignore God's calling, and thus Saul–Pharisee and enemy of Christians—became Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Jeremiah had a similar message for the Israelites deported to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem. No matter where they had gone, there they were. In Jerusalem or in Babylon, they were still God's people Israel. They were still keepers of God's Law. They still had a calling to fulfill. Being removed from Jerusalem to Babylon removed none of that from who they were.
Wherever we go today, there we are. Wherever we happen to live, wherever we happen to work, all that we are is there.
Wherever we happen to live, wherever we happen to work, God's calling for us is also there. God's plan for our lives is also there.
Wherever we happen to live, wherever we happen to work, God is always there. He does not depart from us. He does not leave us to face our circumstances alone.
As we are called to bear witness to God's eternal Truth, we are called no matter where we are. We are called to be God's light into a darkened world no matter where we are. We are called to bear good fruit, no matter where we are.
Life does not stop merely because we are not where we wish to be. Our hopes and our dreams are not erased merely because we are not where we desire to be, no more than our fears would be vanquished if only we could be where we desire to be.
Life continues, wherever we are.
Our hopes and dreams persist, wherever we are.
Our fears still haunt us, wherever we are.
No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.
No matter where we go, there God is, and there God will be.
Wherever we are, each day we are called to follow the path God has laid before us. Wherever we are, each day we are called to hear God's Word, follow God's Law, and adhere to God's Will. Wherever we are, each day we are called to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Wherever we are, each day we are called to treat everyone with forgiveness, with grace, and with compassion.
The call is not silenced merely because we do not like our surroundings. The call is not put on hold until we are in a place more to our liking.
No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.
No matter where we go, there God is, and there God will be.
My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will pay heed to God's calling, and will have their hearts and their minds opened to God’s Will. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will be inspired to bear witness wherever they are, to whomever is around them. My prayer this day is that all people everywhere will be moved to bear good fruit wherever they are, meeting everyone they encounter with grace, with mercy, and with compassion.
Wherever we are, each day we are called to follow the path God has laid before us. Wherever we are, each day we are called to hear God’s Word, follow God’s Law, and adhere to God’s Will. Wherever we are, each day we are called to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Wherever we are, each day we are called to treat everyone with forgiveness, with grace, and with compassion.
The call is not silenced merely because we do not like our surroundings. The call is not put on hold until we are in a place more to our liking.
No matter where we go, there we are, and there we will be.
No matter where we go, there God is, and there God will be.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” - Psalm 37:3