By Accident

I started this blog by accident--a long story I don't care to get into right now--but it got me thinking about accidents.
I recently moved from Texas to Pennsylvania (which is a big change not only in location, but in climate, accents, and culture, among many other things).  My parents seemed convinced that this was where God wanted our family, but the only substantial proof I could see was my father's new job: he would be happier with this job, and so the whole family would be happier.  Didn't God know that I was already happy?  I had a great group of friends, I loved our church, I loved our town, and I had a wonderful boyfriend.  I was comfortable.
But that's the thing, I was only comfortable, I wasn't changing and I wasn't growing.  In moving, I am now forced to make new friends while keeping the old; I am needing to learn to communicate better to handle a long-distance relationship; I am needing to balance my time between homework, old friends, family, new friends, my boyfriend, and finding the right college for me; and I am needing to consider church options.
In the case of my boyfriend, I'm finding that being a long-distance couple is more difficult than I had originally thought, and stretches my patience, my strength, and teaches me new meanings of love.  All of these areas would not have grown in the same way if I had continued living just 20 minutes away, and I would not have felt so much of a need to rely on God in my relationship.
In the instance of a new church home, I was stubborn and wanted a church as close as possible to the church I just left.  But I am now finding that the youth band at the church we've been attending is a much better fit for me than the youth band I played in back in Texas, and I'm finding that youth group on Wednesdays will stretch my abilities to reason and defend what I believe while respecting others' beliefs, which is an area I hadn't realized I was needing to grow more.
When it comes to new friends and places, I am not big on stepping outside of my comfort zone, yet here I am being thrust into new situations and learning to find my balance quickly, which is surely a skill I'll be thankful to have when I go to college next fall.
If I had continued living in Texas, where I was comfortable, I would never have had the chance to grow in so many ways, and I would be let loose on the world next year as a frightened child with no firm sense of self, direction, faith, or relationship with God.  The thing about being comfortable, is that we're not of much use in God's plan, because we're sitting dormant.  It is no accident that I'm here and no longer dormant, but a little eager and restless to get out and go somewhere.  God has a direction for that energy, a plan to further His kingdom in this world with it, and I am excited about that.  God is not about accidents, God is about purpose.