A Life Unsettled

Mar 30

I’m not where I thought I’d be.

When I was young, I figured by now I’d own a home and children and steady a career and a great love to share it with. Surely, I thought, I’d be settled by the time I was thirty-three.

Settled.

Murmured opinions surround us, coming from nowhere and everywhere, telling us we should settle down or settle into a groove. While those can be great blessings at times, there is something unexpectedly beautiful about living an unsettled life with Jesus.

There’s a sweetness in a life unsettled.

It isn’t insecure; on the contrary, it takes bravery to choose a life like that, and for me, that type of courage and strength comes only from understanding the power of my Heavenly Father. I’ve learned that I can do things in my own power, but operating in His power is much more fruitful. I’ve learned He takes away things I love to give me new things, things that are unexpected and somehow better than what I once loved. I’ve learned His plan for my life isn’t the “American Dream,” but maybe it’s leading me toward a life about which Americans secretly dream, a life that is interruptible, free, and overflowing with love.

You know, I prayed for this.

Yep.

I asked God for an unsettled life where He would keep my eyes open to the world around me and help me favor life in bold, vibrant color over life with predictable grey and white rhythms. He clearly listened, and I clearly didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Even so, I don’t regret that prayer because I’ve seen so much growth and goodness and glory born from it.

Each day, I want to wake up and embrace my life as it is rather than lament what I expected it would be. I want to serve and love and move in step with the Holy Spirit, always interruptible and available to be a light or meet a need. These are the things that matter, and these are the things I aspire to these days.

Just because my life looks different than I thought it would, than some people think it should, doesn’t mean it’s wrong or crazy. Paul said it best in his second letter to the Corinthians, “If we are ‘out of our mind’ as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you” (5:13). So here’s to a life unsettled, a wild life to make much of Him.

There’s room for you, too.

Are you coming?

Mia Anne Cohen

I taught middle school for 8 years, and sometimes, I still miss it. My students taught me about empathy, patience, and injustice. They instructed me in the ways of laughter and not taking myself too seriously, and they asked me to do a lot of wild things like pop their pimples and “Hit the Quan”. Back then, I was called to serve in a school, to teach and love my motley crew as well as I possibly could, and I was proud to do it.

Then, God called me out of middle school and into missions, a very different kind of education. In that season, I learned how to dream, how to dig deep wells of courage, how to take big steps of faith and walk boldly into new things. And you know what? He did all this so I could share my story with someone like you, to help you move from fear to faith. I want to teach you what I’ve learned, to help you understand fear only has the power you give it, to help you wake up to your purpose or just the next right thing and feel empowered to do something about it.

Let’s seize the new mornings with God and believe the promises he whispers. Let’s laugh ‘til our stomachs hurt and eat dark chocolate on weeknights and find moments of rest and joy in a busy world. And most of all, let’s run toward the things that scare us, realize they have no real power, and leave them in the dust. It took me years, and it is my hope that you don’t wait as long as I did.

https://www.miaannecohen.com

A Life Unsettled

Consistency Matters

Bustle, Brown Boxes, and New Beginnings