The Act of Leaving: Ryan Rae
When I got the call from Camellia to write the Harvest post, I was elated to: 1) hear from one of my best friends and 2) have a chance to share something with old friends at the Wesley. Camellia gave me only one direction in writing this: “Tell us what God has been trying to tell you lately.” In response, I give you the one thing that has been gentle on my mind: God has been reshaping the act of leaving.
My life before and after Christ has always been marked by my ability to leave the current situation. I was constantly on the move; no place seemed to be a home for much of my life. I am only now seeing how much this constant transplanting and up-rooting caused a lot of pain in my life. So, last March when my wife McCall and I realized that we would be leaving the Wesley and moving across the country to start again, I remembered a familiar pain made only deeper by the home Christ gave me in Ruston. I did the one thing I could do, I prayed. It took a while for me to catch what God had placed in front of me, but the picture became clearer. I was constantly brought back to the same passage in Acts where Paul and Barnabas are sent off from Antioch. I kept wondering about the pain that they must have felt leaving the first place that they could call Home as Christians. In fact, I would have to imagine that they could only leave if it was absolutely necessary. I’m sure I don’t have to connect the dots too much for you, but there is a reason that I could move on from the Wesley.
When I finally arrived at my new home, McCall and I were able to find a new church very quickly. It is old, and not all the lights work, and sometimes the water pipes burst, and they need constant volunteers for music and readings. We jumped right in and found the community to be kind, caring, and most importantly- intentional. I began to see the Spirit in this community, and I know it is the same Spirit that drives the one there in Ruston. The thing that makes Wesley special is that it teaches you what a community, empowered by God, can do. That this power is not limited to a singular building or community, but given by God to His people wherever you may find them.
I guess God has been telling me a message of promise. I could go anywhere in this world, talk to whoever, and I would still find His Spirit waiting for me when I arrived. We may leave a physical place, but we can never leave the Kingdom of God, for it resides in us. Christ can never leave us, and I can sing that praise daily. So, to the students that are about to leave or to those who are feeling down that they are not in the day to day life here at the Wesley, I want to tell you that God will provide you with a people. A community that will lift you up in Spirit and allow you to weather all storms and sing the loudest of praises. Because it happened at LA Tech, it will happen again.
In closing, I would like to pray that everyone who reads this would find joy, that joy God showed me, other staff members, and many, many students at the Wesley Foundation. I also pray that anyone who is about to leave would know that Christ's love and Spirit is with them forever. I pray that peace may fall on you, and that friends may greet you wherever you end up.
Ryan is a former Wesley intern who lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his new wife McCall (a fellow former intern). He has a love of reading, writing, and music. He volunteers his musical talents by playing at his church’s worship service. Ryan brought much joy, laughter, and wisdom as an intern, and he remains close to the hearts of those in our community.