“There’s no place I would rather be than here in your love.”
One of my favorite songs is “Set a Fire” by Will Reagan. I didn’t know many songs like this at the time I first heard it, so this one was nice because he said the same things over and over, making it easy to learn. Of all five lines, my favorite was “there’s no place I’d rather be than here in your love,” which is ironic because I’m almost always thinking about places where I’d rather be. Right now, I’d rather be in Nicaragua feeding people on the streets and building houses for the homeless than sitting in my room writing this blog.
Preparing for this awesome journey has taught me a little bit about embracing where I am rather than wishing for where I’m not. It’s a skill I’ll have to master pretty quickly when I’m living in less-than-desirable circumstances next year.
Sometimes we’re in a place that we don’t want to be in because there’s a place where we’d rather be. A lot of times that place is work, school, church or even home. Nevertheless, that place we’d rather be is often times not a place at all but a state of being. Sometimes I wish I was on a mountain camping with some friends, or on a crazy cross-country adventure. Other times I find myself wishing I was further along in my journey with Christ or wishing I was far enough in life to have my own house and my own family.
After singing this song over and over for nearly 3 years, it finally hit me: “here in your love” actually means “everywhere.” Singing this song around a campfire surrounded by your people in a beautiful place is easy. Singing this song on a mountain top in North Georgia is easy. Singing this song after getting a raise on your paycheck is easy. Can you sing it when you’re surrounded by walls and loneliness? When you’re sitting in front of a pile of papers and stress? There’s always a place where you could be, but will you embrace the place where you are? This is where you’re meant to be.
This question was posed to me in early 2018:
If you could be anywhere in life right now, where would you be? (time, age, spiritual journey, mental growth, etc.) why?
My answer (at the time): I’d be 4 years ahead of now, when I’m a pastor. or I’d be 1 month ahead of now when I’ll be at camp glisson. or I’d be 6 years ahead of now when I have a family and kids. In my journey with Christ, I’d be at a point where I don’t have to force myself to read the bible or pray, and I’d be at the point where it’s easy to listen to him.
Reading my response now, I’m surprised at how much I wanted to move on from where I was. After listening to this song again, my answer changed because I realized that it doesn’t matter where I am right now the way I think it does.
Wherever I am, I am in God’s love and in His presence, and that’s the only place that, deep down, I really want to be. I was sitting in my room the other night completely bored. I wanted to do something productive, but I couldn’t think of anything. So, I started thinking of all the places I’d rather be. After I got tired of that, I decided to talk to Jesus. It wasn’t long before I realized that the time I spend alone in my room can be the most valuable and productive time in my life.
You can be anywhere in this world and not be satisfied if you’re not in His love.
You can also be anywhere in this world and be satisfied if you’re in His love.
Paul demonstrates this when he is in prison in Philippians 1:21-26.
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.“
Paul had a place he’d rather be. He was in prison and he preferred Heaven. Wouldn’t you? He was faced with an internal choice: to stay alive in his body on earth, or to rise up to heaven and be with Christ. He realized that the place he was in was far more necessary than a place of luxury because it’s where he was meant to be in that season. Almost anytime I find myself daydreaming about places I’d rather be, I start to feel trapped in where I am. Paul, literally trapped in prison, found peace and purpose in it. So can we. We’ve all been given a place with a purpose.
Now when I look back at that question, I have to check myself. Do I have the courage to answer “here, now.” Or will I keep wishing to be further along? Will I keep wishing away my current circumstances? I’ve got news: there’s always going to be another circumstance to warrant your wishing away. I’m going to start embracing my life before I accidentally wish it all away.
Before I signed up for the world race, I was incredibly malcontent with where I was, physically and spiritually. I felt restless and trapped. After signing up, I felt completely satisfied. Now, after a few months have passed, every circumstance that I once felt trapped in is now a welcome sight. In other words, first I was desperate to leave, then I was satisfied that I was able to leave, now I get a little sad that I’m going to leave. I realized that where I was wasn’t wrong, but where my heart was wasn’t right. I wasn’t trapped because of where I was but because of where my heart wasn’t. By finally giving God my yes, I put my heart back in its rightful place: His hands, and there’s no place I’d rather be.
