Postgraduate life in the present day sees a lot of transitions. It is not uncommon for medical students like myself to move around the United States in search of a school, rotations, and residency interviews. It can be difficult to feel rooted in any one particular place because of the way much of the American higher education system structures itself around positional flexibility. Also being a minority in post-Christian America can add further challenges in forming healthy social relationships with local peers.
Having grown up close to the San Gabriel Valley, I took the large Asian American community for granted. Having Hawaiian poke bowls, Vietnamese pho, Taiwanese hot pot, Korean BBQ, Japanese ramen and sushi, Chinese dim sum, boba milk tea, and many other Asian supermarkets and restaurants at my disposal felt normative. After moving to other states, I realized I had taken them for granted.
No matter where I lived, I could usually rely on some common American companies being present: Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Starbucks, Panera Bread, McDonald’s, etc. But many states also have their own regional specific restaurants and supermarkets such as In-N-Out and Stater Bros in California, Culver’s and Publix in Florida, and Tim Horton’s and Wegman’s in Pennsylvania. Thus you get the feeling that each state has its own personality even within the same country. Nowhere feels exactly like home.
Sojourners and Exiles
The Bible sees Christians as “sojourners and exiles in the world.” (Leviticus 25:23; 1 Peter 2:11) There is a very real sense in which we are to forsake home and familiarity for the sake of others. Believers are not to be grounded or rooted in this world. Instead, we are to be rooted in God, who sends us wherever He wishes to bless our neighbors, a pattern we often see in the Bible.
Take the example of Daniel, an exile in Babylon. He stayed true to his Jewish heritage, resolving that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine that he drank (Daniel 1:8). Even so, Daniel and his three friends sought to bless the Babylonians and sought the welfare of their neighbors, even submitting to their educational system by learning the literature and language of the Chaldeans (Daniel 1:4). In the end, Daniel’s steadfast loyalty to the Lord led Nebuchadnezzar to praise his God as the King of heaven and the Most High (Daniel 4:34, 37).
In the modern era, the reasons for moving around range from escaping war and famine to seeking jobs and education. But no matter the reason, for Christians, as sojourners and exiles, we are to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against our soul. We walk honorably amongst our neighbors so that they may worship the God we serve (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Practical Application
When I am away from home and my local church for an extended period of time, I embrace my identity as a sojourner and exile in this world and make it a priority to look for and serve in a local church. I want to join a community that holds a high view of Scripture, desires to stay faithful and obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ, and has fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. The local cultures of the places I find myself in may be quite different than the one I was born and raised in, but I learn to adapt to them because we are all part of Christ’s body.
In fact, I can be flexible in my external circumstances and preferences because I have God as my rock, refuge, and strength. In other words, I can deal with variables when I have a constant I can fall back on. Thankfully, Bible reading and prayer are portable actions, so I can do these things wherever I go, and these two means of grace inform and shape the actions and decisions I make.
Social and communication technologies such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, phone calls, and emails help compress the world, so distance is not always an obstacle to staying close to home. But even through that, I believe my priority should be focused on the local people I live with. God has called me here, and I want to do the work he has prepared for me to do.
Building relationships while knowing that they might only last a year or two may be tough, but they remain one of the most powerful means by which we can enrich one another. I get to exchange ideas and beliefs with my peers as we share stories with one another. However short or long the relationship may be, I use the time allotted to me to build a connection with my peers and point them to the Christ I worship through that connection.
God With Us
Staying close to Christ while being away from home is indeed difficult, but possible. It involves knowing your faith well enough that you can stand on your own. When you are separated from like-minded peers in a community that is alien to your faith, you can still hold fast to God and bless your peers. Bible reading, prayer, and the local church all ground your local experiences in the context of a covenantal relationship with God. I can stay close to Christ wherever I go because He is with me wherever I go as I seek to proclaim the glory of His name to my neighbors.