The first job I ever held was at a rest home (a home for the frail and elderly) in South Florida, catering specifically to the Finnish community. I couldn’t imagine working somewhere else. My parents were both Finnish, and many Finns lived in the area then (and still do today). So, for me, being first-generation Finnish-American, there was really no other place I could imagine working. Many of us “first-generationers” found our way there at some point. It was a socially comfortable place to work, a little pocket of familiarity for our unique subculture. I made friends, enjoyed my job (even if the pay was what it was 😆), and gradually worked my way up from the laundry room to the kitchen, and finally to the dining room. Things were going really well for me; working somewhere else was not even a consideration.
Comfortable but needing to go somewhere else
My parents and my sister all worked at the rest home at some point. My mother was a nurse, my father, a contractor, helped add a section to the facility, and my sister worked in the office. You could say it was a family thing. Why I was drawn to the kitchen and dining room didn’t make sense to my younger self. I just felt at home cleaning, serving the people, and washing pots.
A few years later, needing a financial boost, I began looking for another job. Over time, I found one that paid a bit better and, sadly, left my friends at the rest home to start working somewhere else. It wasn’t an easy adjustment. Working at the rest home was a kind of cocoon for me; I fit better there than in the big outside world.
Initially, I visited my old workplace frequently and longed for the familiar atmosphere. My new job, while offering me better pay, was cold in comparison. People were there to work; they clocked in and out, and that was it. To fit in, I worked hard and learned a new way of working.
That decision led me to broaden my horizons and learning how to adapt to new people and cultures. While I was born an American, I didn’t fully integrate into the culture until I spread my wings. It was a hard step, but it led to new friendships, skills, and ultimately to where I am today.
Unknown and unfamiliar
The decision to go somewhere else is more difficult than staying put. Staying in one familiar place, even if it isn’t to your liking, can be easier than branching out into the unknown and unfamiliar.
I think it must’ve been difficult for the early church to branch out. Jesus had broken the ice, as it were, by His life and sacrifice. Up until that time, most, if not all, of the believers came from Jewish heritage. It wasn’t until Paul’s conversion and ministry that the Gospel message began to spread broadly to all nations.
Paul was a learned Pharisee of the strictest kind and was chosen by God to reach out to where he would not have gone naturally: the outside non-Jewish world. Peter, on the other hand, an uneducated fisherman, went to what would have been the logical choice for Paul: to the Jews. I don’t think either of them was a natural fit for the people to whom they were called.
But these leaders saw that I had been given the work of telling the Good News to those who are not Jewish, just as Peter had the work of telling the Jews. God gave Peter the power to work as an apostle for the Jewish people. But he also gave me the power to work as an apostle for those who are not Jews.
Galatians 2:7,8 (NCV)
Going for someone else
It’s safe to stay where we’re comfortable, even if we complain about it. We’ve grown used to the discomforts and inconveniences of that familiar place. Going somewhere else would mean learning an entirely new way of living, one that we’re not accustomed to. And change, by nature, is uncomfortable.
But Paul, instead of being averse to it, chose to connect with God’s heart by going somewhere else for someone else.
What was unpopular at the time, going somewhere else, became a lifelong passion for Paul. His assignment, as illogical as it seemed for someone with his background, became the very thing that ignited his heart. This passion wasn’t natural; it was a supernatural impartation from God. It was a divine download into his spirit. Yet it would never have been possible had Paul’s heart not been open to receive it. I can’t help but wonder: what might happen if we, too, connected with God’s heart to go somewhere else for someone else?
Consider Paul, whose life was (until he met Jesus on the Road to Damascus, see Acts 9), devoted entirely to Pharisaical service. He fiercely defended the traditions of his religion, even to the point of persecuting the church. Known then as Saul, he zealously imprisoned believers and stood by in approval as Stephen was martyred for the cause of Christ.
Then came the call to go somewhere else, for someone else. And he readily stepped up to the challenge.
A learning curve going somewhere else
We took a quick trip recently to Burundi, a country in East Africa, where I’ve spent much of my life serving in missions. Over the years, I learned the language, culture, and customs of the region; it’s a place where I can move around with ease. Serving in South Africa, on the other hand, was never on our radar. It was never a dream of ours to live here, let alone to plant a church. When we first moved to Africa, having a South African stamp in your passport would have kept you from entering the region because of the apartheid restrictions still in effect until the late 1990s.
During our trip, I noticed how easily I moved around. While I’ve been in South Africa for three years now, I’m just beginning to feel like I’m fitting in a bit better. It’s a learning curve when you go somewhere else.
Grow and go, not sit and stay
God isn’t one to let us hang around in comfortable places. I used to wonder why He saw fit to move me around to places I would be least likely to fit in. It wasn’t until I realized that He has my interests at heart when He sends me elsewhere. He wants me to grow and go, not sit and stay.
Of course, this doesn’t mean everyone moves geographically as much as I have; each has the grace God has given them. It does mean that we should go somewhere else, wherever we are. There are outreach places next door that only you can reach. From Pretoria, I would find it difficult to serve your neighbor, someone else.
All of us can go to someone else wherever we find ourselves. That, in essence, is going somewhere else.
Don’t fear the new people and places God has prepared for you. His plans are always perfect, even when they lead you beyond what’s familiar. Remember, He is the best and will give you the best.
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