When my husband and I were first married, we faced the decision of whether we would stay in the small town I was born and raised in, or if we would move on elsewhere. Well, some things kind of landed in our lap in this little town and we felt it was God's way of telling us to stay... for the time being.
Eleven + years and 2 kids later: we're still here! Being part of this town has so many blessings. Truly. People smile at you, even if they don't know you. They wave to let you through the stop sign first. It is very likely that you will run into someone you know (or who knows your mom) while you are out grocery shopping. The feeling of community is very prevalent here. People bring meals to those who are sick or who have had a baby. We support locally run businesses (the local coffee shop gals and owner know my name and my "usual"). We buy from the local fruitstands to support our farmers. Parents watch out for each other's children. If you run into someone you don't know here in town, just striking up a conversation with them will reveal how you are related to them or a friend of theirs. Or perhaps that you went to school with their brother or neighbor. And if you are looking for a referral on a housekeeper, electrician, painter, or piano teacher, all you have to do is ask at the library and they'll find someone who knows someone who does a great job at that. Or just ask my Mom. She knows just about everyone who lives here.
(Not that many of these things couldn't happen in a big city... it's just unlikely.)
My husband had to adjust to this life. People actually do "Sunday drive" on Sunday. And sometimes on Saturday... well, pretty much any day. The restaurants close by 9:00, if not 8:00 on the weekdays. It used to be many businesses were closed on Sunday. But the slower pace of life suits us as well as the lack of superficiality that we found in other cities. There are genuine people here, not interested in being better than all the rest, but who care about you and want to see you succeed.
Buuuuutttttt, on the other side of things: sometimes life in a small town isn't so grand. Somedays it's nice that everyone in the town knows you. Other days it's not so nice. When people know more about you than you know about yourself, that's a problem!
I was chatting with someone today who told me something that nearly broke my heart. Without going into detail, it was essentially someone accusing someone else of something they didn't do, because someone else said they did do it. (See how silly that sounds just reading it like that?!) Unfortunately, in a town like ours, Word Of Mouth (and I capitalize that because it's a big deal here) goes a long way. This has the potential to be great, if you are perfect and no one has any complaints about how you do your business. However, if you rub the wrong person the wrong way... watch out!
When situations like this arise, sometimes I feel like I really lack answers in knowing how to handle them. But going back to the Bible is always the best answer. I think this one really hits home for me because it not only tells us what not to do, but what we should do instead: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29.
And on the other side of things: 'Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.' Romans 12:19. I'll admit, this one's hard for me because when someone I care about is hurt, the Momma Bear in me comes out. But instead, I talk it out with my husband and he lets me vent to him so I can let it go. And it's interesting, I have witnessed when family and friends have handled their difficult situations in the ways that God has laid out for us, He sets it straight. In His way, though; not necessarily the way we want things to go.
(As a side note: While doing some reading up on this post, I came across this little devotion from "Right From the Heart, Right To The Point". It defined Righteous Anger and then explained Jesus' purpose for it. It made me think twice about all the times I've been angry with someone and could have handled the situation without anger. A good short read.)
*And if you're wondering if any of the "someones" mentioned above are you, don't worry, they're not. :)
I'd love to hear about your likes/dislikes about living in a small town/big city. I've done both and am quite content to be where we are... for now.
KC
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