I wrote the words above the line some time ago. But the rest of it was inspired by CJ, whom I just met recently. She was trying to make a decision on whether to stay in Singapore, or leave and go back to the Philippines.
The easiest thing would be to leave.
Because it entails just running away. It means just up and leaving everything behind. No need to fix things. No need to mend relationships. No need to make an effort. Just leave everything and be done with it, and move on.
The easiest thing would be to stay.
Because, it retains the status quo. It means, just letting things stay the way that they are, and hoping for the best. It means making some small changes, some small sacrifices, making an effort to be a little bit better, and then having the things stay the same as they are, no big move, no big changes.
The hardest thing would be to leave.
Because, it means, finding new work, establishing new relationships, getting used to new people and new routines. It means packing everything up, and then unpacking in a new place. It means having to learn new things, and confronting new uncertainties.
The hardest thing would be to stay.
Because it means compromising on emotions and ideals, and having to let go of personal preferences. It means having to deal, day in and day out, with current circumstances that have already proven to be stressful. It means having to give up certain liberties and privileges that were once thought to be completely free and open.
But the best thing is that, the answer to all these questions, and any others that might be asked in the future, and all other questions that have been asked in the past, can be found in God’s love.
It seems reductive. And oversimplified. But the correct answer is and always will be: God’s love.
So. Seen through the eyes of Glory, before asking whether to stay or to leave, one should ask first, where is God in all this? Am I considering His presence, acknowledging His purpose in any direction that I take? Am I responding in a loving way to the situation, or am I reacting out of hand?
Is His love driving my decisions, by His spiritual standards, or am I letting the world dictate what I should be doing, how I should be leading my life, according to its flawed biases?
The first step is to believe that He is the answer, that His truth is the first step in any decision making process. The second step is to trust that His way will work for you, that His Words will light your path, that His Spirit has already gone before You even before you have made the decision.
And the third step is to just Go. Stay or leave, easy or hard — these now just become semantics, defining and framing the real world plans that you have to make. Whatever you ultimately decide, just make sure that you are living in Love, going in Peace, and serving with Joy in the Lord.
