Redemption amid Ruin

Faith to Leave the Familiar

Abraham’s journey began with one word: Go.

Leave behind your country, your family, everything familiar. Step into a future you cannot yet see. Imagine the courage it took, the surrender it demanded. Abraham did not know the roads, the cities, or the people he would meet. Yet he trusted God’s promise of a new land, a new purpose.

Faith often asks this of us, not only in grand moments but in the quiet, everyday decisions of our lives. To let go of the known and walk into the unknown, trusting that God sees what we cannot.

Mother Teresa showed this courage in a different form. She left the safety of her convent to walk the streets of Calcutta, carrying hope into the lives of the poorest and the forgotten. She left comfort behind and discovered a world of connection, of hearts ready to receive love and dignity. Stepping into the unknown rarely concerns only us; it is about the lives we touch along the way.

I have walked this path in a way unique to our family. We were settled in Chennai, India, with a house, cars, and a comfortable rhythm, raising our two boys. Yet God stirred something in our hearts through the story of Genesis 12. My husband’s job opened a door to Indonesia, a move we could not have foreseen.

Six months later, grief struck. Our young son fell sick. Within three months, our precious child passed away. The world felt hollow, and the path ahead seemed impossible.

Even in sorrow, God whispered, Go. Six months later, He led us back to Jakarta, the very city, to the same apartment complex where we were meant to live as a family of four. From Jakarta, the journey continued to Vietnam and Hong Kong. Each city demanded adaptation. Each culture invited us to learn humility and grace. Each community called us to connect in love.

In every new place, we discovered a more profound lesson. Faith is not only obedience; it is also a relational experience. Following God faithfully means trusting His plan and trusting the people and communities He places in our path. Faith grows in small gestures of connection, in learning to listen, to adapt, and to open our hearts in a foreign land.

Like Abraham, we may never see the full map of our journey. Yet God’s promise stands. When He says Go, He walks with us through grief, through uncertainty, through unfamiliar streets, languages, and lives. Step by step, He teaches patience, resilience, and the beauty of trusting not only Him but also the people and the world He calls us to embrace.

Faith is never only about the destination. It is about the courage to step, the willingness to trust, and the grace to love along the way.

Reflection Question:

Is there something God is asking you to leave behind so you can step into what He has planned for you?

Prayer:

Lord, help me trust Your plans and follow wherever You lead. Give me faith to leave the familiar behind, knowing You hold my future in Your hands. Amen.