So, Why Did You Move Here?

Since moving to Brighton, this is the question I get asked most often, and to be honest, I don't ever really know how to answer the question.  There isn't really an easy answer, and recently I usually end up sort of laughing and saying "I don't know."  Isn't that the worst answer ever?

I mean, I do know why we moved to a different country (even though we were perfectly happy where we were), but just try explaining that to the grocery clerk who is checking your groceries.  She is looking for a simple answer like "because of my husband's job" not because "we felt called".  Don't get me wrong, I have had the "calling" conversation many times, but it is certainly not always appropriate and it is a long story.

To be perfectly honest (and isn't that what this blog is all about), there are some days when I ask myself, "so, why did we move here?".  We actually really like it here and we hope we are making a difference in our church and community, but couldn't we be making that same difference at home in Texas?  It certainly would be simpler and make a lot more sense.

My friend Kim from Austin asked me a few days ago whether I had figured out why we were here yet.  I had to tell her no and I wasn't sure I would ever know exactly why we were here.  The thought of that sort of bothered me until I was talking about the same thing with my new friend Elin over cream tea (isn't that so British).  Elin asked me if I really needed to know the answer to the big question of why we were here.  She offered that sometimes there are questions that just don't get answered and that is OK (of course, she said it more eloquently than that, but you get the picture).

I think Elin was right.  There might not be a simple, obvious answer to why we are here, or there might be a million different answers.  Maybe the main reason is because we felt like we were being asked - maybe it was just about obedience.  I don't really know, but I do have a peace about it.  I know it was the right thing for us to do even if I am not sure exactly why.

So maybe someday I will have that lightning bolt moment, and I will be able to write a brilliant post about the big answer to the question "so, why did you move here?".  More than likely, I will have to write a really long blog listing all the small reasons why I think we moved here.  For now, I will try to just enjoy each new experience here in England and  remember that God is sovereign.  He knows all the answers, so I don't have to.