Love Where You Live By Shauna PilgreenSample

Day One

Where Has God Sent You?

Scripture: John 20:21

Did you know the average American will move eleven times in his or her life? We downplay God’s activity when we see a move simply as a move, or a decision to stay as a commitment to the status quo. God breathes not only breath in us but a purpose and calling that is as unique as we are. And with that purpose comes a place to dwell. That dwelling place is strategic. 

Moving is our human explanation for a transition in life. Living sent is recognizing God’s intimate involvement in our lives, whether we are in a new zip code or have been in the same one for years. Living sent aligns our uniqueness to His activity so that He becomes visible to our community. 

God sent Abraham. He sent Jonah. He sent out the Twelve. He sent Philip. God sent Jesus, right? Of course, Jesus lived sent before He told us to do it. He spent His earthly years living this way. He went into the temple and the synagogues, but He was even more in the fields and the homes and the cities, with the outcasts and those who were attracted to His lifestyle.

Jesus said to those closest to Him, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). These words are not just for mission trips. They reflect a lifestyle that includes how we parent, love, lead, shop, dine, explore, and serve. If we don’t show Jesus as we do these things, we will fail the people of our cities and towns and abandon our sending God. 

I made a decision when we moved to San Francisco to take His command seriously. To consider myself sent and to contribute to the welfare of the city. This wasn’t a Wonder Woman moment. It was an internal surrender to doing life God’s way one day at a time, choosing to be present and awake to the needs and culture around me. I took a deep breath, believing I was in San Francisco for a reason beyond myself. And honestly? I could have done all this in the town we lived in before. It wasn’t about the move. It was about waking up to God’s vision for where I lived. 

How would you describe the place God has sent you to live?