There's No Place I'd Rather Be

There's no place I'd rather be,
There's no place I'd rather be,
There's no place I'd rather be,

Than here in your love, here in your love.

So set a fire down in my soul,

That I can't contain and I can't control,
I want more of You God, 
I want more of You God.

Set A Fire - Will Reagan & United Pursuit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcJ8s4dVaiQ

I was listening to this song today during my devotional time and discovered how powerful it really is. To say "There's no place I'd rather be" is a very strong statement and one that I think we say too often with too little sincerity.

"There's no place I'd rather be but hanging out with friends 'till dawn.. There's no place I'd rather be than home with family for the holidays.. There's no place I'd rather be than resting on the beaches of the Mediterranean."

But what if God wants us to be elsewhere, out of our comfort zone, into the unknown? What if he wants us to say: "There's no place I'd rather be than with YOU God, doing Your work, wherever that may be."

Often I wonder why He has put me in certain situations or specific places. My time here is Korea has been a constant battle of emotions that change almost every hour - I'M SO HAPPY I'M HERE, what am I doing in Korea, I'M IN ASIAAAAAA, I miss my family in Turkey, HANGING OUT OVERSEAS IS THE BEST, why can't I be in Greeley right now, THESE NEXT FOUR MONTHS ARE GONNA BE GREAT, why doesn't this place feel like home yet.

Four years ago I decided to study abroad in Korea and began telling people of my plans. Now that I'm here, it is almost unbelievable, and amazing. It's 신기하다 (sheen-gee-ha-da), as my new friend JiHye would say.

To me, JiHye is one of those people that you run into incidentally, have a brief conversation with, and automatically know that you are going to be wonderful friends in the future. I met her about a week after being here and have been blessed and encouraged by her often since.

She, as well has many other people, is the reason why I can look at my situation here and know without a doubt that this is where God wants me to be. I see the great influence that she has had on me in such a short amount of time, and the impact that I have had on her and it makes my heart cry out there's no place I'd rather be than here, God.

Of course, I don't always feel like saying that. Adjusting to a new country and new culture takes time. There are the hilarious joys - like having three Korean guys you just met who speak very little English take you to lunch off-campus and order you something unknown. (How I ended up in that situation is an entirely different story; sometimes you just have to roll with it..especially if you're hungry!) Then there are the excitements of seeing new sites and visiting new places with rich history and cultural ties, and getting there and back without a Korean.

But there are also the pains of mis-communication between two languages and cultures, the friends who left home to try to erase memories only to find more hardships here, and then the heart-tearing confusion of wanting to be in some place familiar and yet still wanting to experience a new place.

All I can say is this - I know I'm meant to be here. Though I don't always feel like it, I can look around and know that this is where I'm supposed to be right now. I am eager to see how I am going to fall in love with this country, and how it will become another place I can call home. Set a fire in my soul, God, and teach me how to say that there is no place I'd rather be but HERE in your love.