A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home

I had a conversation with a friend of mine a week or so ago after I received a text saying You should move back to California. I asked why, and her response was all your friends were there and that I should date this one girl. After I gave a huge eye roll to the second reason, I was only left with the practical reasons I couldn’t move back: too expensive, my family wasn’t there, I would be unemployed. But after quite a bit of pontification, the real reason I couldn’t go back was staring at me. “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home”. While I loved my time there, I couldn’t go back to a place where growth wasn’t possible. I even look at my college years and people kept putting me in boxes saying I could only do this or that and that I wasn’t capable or equipped to do such a task. They took my potential and diminished it into their view of me that they had simply because they grew up with me. 

Nothing frustrates me more than to see people place me in a box and not allow my abilities and gifts to be used. Whether it was speaking at engagements, playing electric guitar or being that forward leader, there was always the excuse that oh we need someone to fill this role that we don’t want to fill. But also within the church(not knocking any particular denomination), they viewed me as young, inexperienced and uneducated. As someone who’s leadership style should remain behind the scenes and never up front.

When I moved out east, I met people who I had never seen before and didn’t know me. And yet they instantly recognized that I had potential and for the first time there was no box prohibiting me from becoming the person I was meant to be. Opportunities to grow and be a strong leader have opened and allowed me to finally do things that I previously would have been shoo’d away from ever doing, speaking in front of groups of people, leading a group at small music shows, and being realized who I am.

But believe me there are still frustrations. But I am now in a place to exercise these gifts that would have never been watered and would have wilted in that environment. So find a place where who you are is recognized and given an environment to flourish.

…

After thinking about this more and being able to perform and tell stories in front of people last night, I am more resolved on the issue that being in Nashville has given me a place that enables me to grow beyond anything I could have back in California. Voices matter. And it's hard to say this without possibly hurting people back home but I believe it needs to be said, so that others have the ability to be lifted up. 

One way I have been able to allow others to rise up and grow is in our small church's young adult group. The Bible discussion is no longer just led by the leaders but by anyone who is willing to lead within the group. This gets rid of the us and them mentality of the leaders are those holy ones over there and we just show up to be taught and not have our voices heard. Our group has flourished allowing for people to step into roles they either never thought they would step into or had never had the opportunity. It allows them to take ownership of the group.

The ultimate example of this has to be Jesus himself. He took the marginalized and vulnerable and elevated them to a place that society and the current leaders of the day would never have given to them. I look at Peter, a fisherman. Whose status would have only ever been that, a fisherman. Yet Jesus brings him into this new kingdom, this new status, simply because of a chance and not because of any prior education or status’. Don’t even get me started on how Jesus elevated women, because he changed everything in their day for them and it drastically changes how we should treat women today.

Jesus is that example of giving people a chance to be who he made them to be. How much more should we follow in his example! I know the people here in Nashville did that for me!

Originally written on August 18th, continued thoughts written on August 24th