Living In Exile
did you know it floods in the desert?
We read in Scripture about entire people groups being sent into exile and it wasn’t pretty. Exile by definition is messy, isolating, and painful. We all have experienced exile in one way or another. We often think of exile (in current vernacular) as being voted off the island. Exile is being separated, banished, and removed. Maybe we are kicked out of our church. That has happened to me. It could be you’ve been exiled from your family. That’s a different level of pain. Even in exile, there are flowers to plant, homes to build, children to be birthed, hopes and dreams, and prayers for where you find yourself.
There are gifts in exile but cultivating them requires effort, trust, and time.
How do you feel about your exile experiences?
I feel:
Sorrow for all that was lost.
Grief for things that could have been done or said differently.
Pain over the loss felt so deeply.
Willingness to sit in the middle of things and face what is.
Courage to trust Jesus for the next step on the journey He has called me to take.
I am often led back to the Biblical chapter, Jeremiah 29. There are some amazing truths there and not only in verse 11. God isn’t asking you to pause in exile. He brought you there and has plans for you. Keep living the life He gave you and don’t grow bitter in stagnation. Plant seeds, water them, and watch the flowers grow. Be about peace and prosperity in the very place of exile He called you to.
Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare. Jeremiah 29:5-7
