The City

I really have not loved the city I live in. And on Sunday, I realized how wrong that attitude has been. In the next few paragraphs, I will attempt to share all that is being exposed in my heart and the truth related to it. It feels a little vulnerable to share my imperfections; however, one of the goals of this blog in the first place was to share the transformations that happen in my life as a form of worshipping the God who is transforming me all the time.

I loved the city I previously lived in. I was born and raised there. I loved the feel of that city, the culture, the honesty, the fact that Lake Tahoe was forty-five minutes away. I loved my job, my church, my friends, my family…that city held all of it. I had a heart to see God’s activity in the city, not just through the bigger venue of my church, but also through my life and the lives of those I connected with. I loved that people were either all for Jesus or clearly not for Him. The city had a west coast mix of snowboarders, artists, cowboys, and college kids. I loved it! So a few years ago, when my pastor, preached on Jeremiah 29:4-14 (click here), I was stoked. My purpose while living in that city was to seek the peace of the city. There was a life and a passion to pursuing the good of that city.

On Sunday, when my current pastor in my new city had us turn to Jeremiah 29:4-14 (click here), I could sense what was coming. I was not as thrilled about the message this time as I was when I heard it preached in my former city that I loved. I have not loved this new city that I live in. The city I live in is actually called the “Buckle of the Bible Belt.” For me, this has been a disheartening reality because most people in this city consider themselves “Christians” (i.e. they “prayed a prayer” at some church when they were a kid), but many have not actually had their whole existence transformed by Jesus. It’s “Christianity” without the Gospel. It is so discouraging to feel the weight of a city full of people going through religious motions without soul transformation and life change. My only reason to be in this city (so I had felt) was to be with my husband who was working in this city. The only place I’ve really invested in this city has been with the group of medical wives whose husbands are going through the program my husband works for. So, my purpose in being here has not been for the city; rather, it has been to have friendship with those who are passing through the city.

Truth be told, I’ve been dragging my feet ever since I moved here. I can feel the religious lethargy in this city. Religion without life is like death to my soul. And so I have remained separate from this city.

So, when hearing Jeremiah 29:4-14 (click here) on Sunday, I could hear the truth of my reality coming through those verses. I could feel the words speak straight to my soul, showing me where my perspective has been off, and calling me forward into a new paradigm.

Portions of Jeremiah 29:4-14:

This is what the LORD…says to all those I [God] carried into exile…

God carried the people into exile then…and He carried me to the city where I live now. It was not a mistake or an accident; rather, God designed this move.


…seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile…

The peace and prosperity being talked about here is actually the idea of “shalom,” which is this idea of everything existing as God intended it to exist. Just as God was telling them to seek the shalom of that city, God is telling me to pursue the shalom of the city I live in now. He is calling me to be an agent of transformation into the way He intends life to be. Shalom in this city would probably look like Gospel truth being spoken and lived in such a way that lives are truly transformed from religious ritual to healing, wholeness, and restoration.

…the plans I have for you…[are] plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God actually has plans in me being here…plans that are meant for my good, not for my harm. He is working out a future while I am in this city in which I never really intended to find myself. One of His greatest purposes is not even about the city. One of His purposes in bringing me to this place is to draw me closer to Him. He brought me here to seek Him with all my heart. He says that I will find Him in that intense pursuit.


…and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.

And, of course, there is this hope that a time will come when He will take me back home. However, the goal is no longer to “get back,” but to pursue the good of this city.

After hearing this passage preached on Sunday, I was completely aware of my wrong attitude has been toward the city I live in. I could see how much my heart was not pursuing the good of this city, that my attitude was not one of facilitating shalom in this city. I have been living disconnected from this city, but no longer have an excuse to remain disconnected. Almost as soon as that understanding came to mind on Sunday, an immediate opportunity arose to seek the good of the city. At the moment, I do not know what it means for my husband and I and our family to be active in bringing peace to this city; however, I want to hear God’s voice in His desire for this city. I want my heart to be transformed to care about this city. I want to see ways that I can seek the peace of this city, knowing that He brought me here all along with that purpose in mind.

This is my challenge and my transformation. I can only wonder, though, whether or not you, too, are engaged in pursuing the shalom of the city you live in. I want to invite you into this paradigm shift, reading Jeremiah 29:4-14 (click here) and applying it to where you live. What is God speaking to you?