building houses and planting gardens

I moved to Boston seven Augusts ago for a job that I wasn't sure I wanted, but was fairly sure I was called to for that season in life.  I moved here, single, knowing scarcely anyone, a southern stranger in a strange northern land - scared, but excited; on an adventure, and on a journey.  And six years in, now, I have been here longer than the average Boston tenure.

When Jon and I were dating, then engaged and debating which city to make our home in, and then young married, making our home in this strange city, one of the passages of Scripture that was thematic for me was Jeremiah 29 - not well-known verse eleven, but the ones preceding it:

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.  10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

It's inscribed and framed on our bedroom wall, because we have prayed it, promised it, and are striving to live it out daily - not so much because we consider ourselves in exile, but because we have found ourselves and felt ourselves called away from the place that once was home, from our families and what was our dominant culture.

For several years now, the part of this passage that stood out to me and that I prayed and sang and hoped for was verse 7, of seeking the peace and prosperity of the city in which I found myself away from home.  I started my six years in this city singing, "God of This City" with a new and hopeful heart, and I'm still singing it, even though I am no longer new, sometimes struggle with hope, and have seen both the good and the harder parts of this city.  And I love her, with every part of my being, and call her home now, more than anywhere else.

But I think subconsciously, I have always seen it as a temporary place.  Each year, evaluating, is this the year that we move? Saving moving boxes, keeping things for "when we have a bigger house," or "when we're somewhere more permanent" or "when we settle somewhere."

But Jon and I realized earlier this week, that something has changed in us - not deliberately necessarily, but on a heart-level, absolutely.  We've intentionally and unintentionally decided to stop living anticipating a departure or waiting for a future permanence.

We threw out the moving boxes.

We've planted a garden.  We're eating copious amounts of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries from it. 

Even though we're still renting, we're putting in the time and money to make our home beautiful.  We put shelves in the closets, bought new curtains that fit the windows we have, planted a tree, and edged the beds out front.  Come fall, I'll plant more bulbs. 

We got rid of the bed in our dining room that we were storing for "when we move somewhere more permanent."

Since moving here, we have gotten married.  We now have two beautiful sons, and will take and bless any future children that we might have, daughters and sons.  Our number has increased.

We're getting to know our neighbors, investing in our neighborhood associations, and getting involved in the issues that are important to our community.  We have made lasting friendships.  We have put down roots.

We are very tangibly living the first six verses of the passage.  We have stopped living as though we were leaving any day now, and have made our home here, for however long we find ourselves dwelling in this apartment and this city.   We still pray for her peace and prosperity, but less as an other, and more as our city.  Our home, even as it's away from our home of origin.

I don't know how long we will find ourselves here.   It might be that we will move next year, but it might be that we'll be here for the next 60 years, and will find wives for our sons and husbands for our daughters here.

It's not a hopeless thing, that we stop living in anticipation of leaving...

It's actually a firm belief that God has blessing for us here.  Plans to prosper us here.  Plans for our future.  And plans for our present.  A decision to believe Him, that He wants good things for us here right now, not in the future when we "settle down" or "find our permanent home."

And a decision to recognize, believe, and receive that blessing now, not later.

And if the time comes to leave, we will leave and go where we are called.  And make no mistake, we know that pulling up roots is hard.  But a well-rooted plant is transplanted far better than a plant with shallow roots that never knows the blessing of rich soil and deep water.   A well-rooted plant thrives, grows, and blossoms, bringing benefit wherever it is.

It feels like a new thing to me.  A place of abundance, not lacking.  And our present invitation. :)