Holding My Breath

Today I had an interesting realization. I realized that at some point in the last few months, I started holding my breath. Of course not literally, because I would blue in the face (and also dead) if that was the case... Before I explain further, let me first say that I don't question at all that God has brought me to this place at this time in my life. I know that this is where God wants me and there are a lot of things that I love about being here. Before I left for internship, I heard that culture shock was an inevitable part of moving to another country and culture. I heard stories from the previous groups of interns that came back and graduated from the program. Basically, I knew in my head that it wasn't going to be a cakewalk, but I subconsciously thought that it wouldn't be as difficult as everyone made it out to be...

So, I've been (figuratively) holding my breath. What I mean by "holding my breath" is that what I'm discovering to be my natural reaction to being in a new culture is to close up, to stop breathing, and wait until it's over to start breathing again. I know that this isn't going to be a sustainable state to be in for the next 9 months. Nor do I want this to be the case. Now that I've realized it, I think that it will be easier to address it and try to change my thinking and embrace living in the present. But, I just wanted to share where I'm at. Internship is definitely challenging, but I know that it can be a huge opportunity for growth, if I choose to let it.


In His Joy and Peace,

Claire Faith