When You’re Tempted To Settle…

This post is written to link with Five Minute Friday: write for five minutes on a one-word prompt.  The prompt today is “settle.”

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They must have been so excited as they started the journey – setting out on an adventure, leaving behind the familiar, stepping out in faith and obedience, heading for the land that God had promised…  I’m sure there was fear but there must also have been anticipation at all that lay ahead. God had told them to head for the land of Canaan.  Surely he must have something good in store for them.

Unfortunately, Terah never got to find out because, “He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.  Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.”  (Genesis 11:31-32 NLT)

I wonder what caused him to settle.  Did he face challenges along the way?  Did the journey seem too long and difficult?  Or was it just that Haran was comfortable and appealing, a pleasant place to settle?

Whatever the reason, God was calling Terah to something greater, something that he never got to see because he chose to settle.

His story is a challenge to me.

Do I press on to all that God is calling me into, or do I set out on the journey, full of enthusiasm, but then find a pleasant place to settle along the way?

Do I settle for second best?

Am I content with “good enough” instead of pursuing the “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10) that Jesus came to offer?

This story challenges me to get up and keep moving.  The journey may be full of challenges, and I may not know what lies ahead, but I don’t want my story to finish like Terah’s.

I don’t want to settle for less than God wants to give.

 

23 thoughts on “When You’re Tempted To Settle…”

  2. I always wanted to travel there,
    to Canaan’s fabled fields
    where there’s love upon the air,
    and for the joy and grace it yields.
    To be woken by that morning choir,
    to be serenaded through the night,
    how wonderful, and how much more
    than glorious, this land so bright.
    And through it all the moving flow
    of energy, down well-marked trails,
    watching all the denizens go
    chasing each other with wagging tails.
    Yes, this all is mighty fine,
    but ‘Canaan’, alas, ain’t ‘Canine’.

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    1. I’ve heard that before, but I’ve also heard that it’s not actually true! I’m not sure as I’ve never counted for myself, but I definitely need lots of reminders!

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  7. It is a challenge – learning to distinguish between being content and simply settling. I pray that Christ gives me the wisdom to know the difference and the courage to press on when I’m settling for less than the abundant life He offers!

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  9. mmm … yes, Lesley.

    where did I settle along the way.

    and how has my life not been what it could have been because I didn’t reach higher.

    God only knows. and that’ll have to be good enough for now …

    thanks for the nudge to ponder a bit, friend.

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  11. Thank you for pausing in an unusual part of the story. I have never parked their to further examine the story. Settled indeed. I am guilty far too often. Currently, I have signed up to move past Haran in my writing. Good enough is not good enough when God says go farther. Thanks for the gentle nudge.

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