Just visiting: On assignment to earth

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

I spent the last five years outside of my home country on international assignment with my workplace. International assignments are fun, a great learning experience that you should try if the opportunity presents itself. It’s often filled with the thrills of first experiences that come with living in a different country, among other people.

 

I have enjoyed learning about other cultures, tried some new meals (not always successfully), learned about five words of the local language, and freed the little girl in me to explore some fun activities. This experience expanded my mindset on many styles and customs vastly different from what I was accustomed to in my home country.

 

Being on an assignment outside your country can be fun; if you love trying new things. It stirs your sense of curiosity and the drive to acclimatize and succeed at your mission. You would need some time to settle, which could be challenging but easier to handle since you know that whatever joys or sorrows you face will only be temporary, and at some point in time, you will go home.

 

This fact helps you handle a lot as an expat living in a different country. You live with a sense of purpose. You know your time here is short, so you work hard at the assignment you were given to ensure you excel and make your time worthwhile.

 

As an expat, you enjoy every moment outside and still want to stay connected to that part of you representing home. You don't forget who you are and where you come from. You honor your heritage and hopefully represent your homeland proudly in the way you live. To keep you grounded, you seek out communities and connect with people who help you stay connected to home- people with the same taste in food, language, values, and cultures.

 

In my years of living as an expat, I have come to appreciate the value of belonging, the satisfying feeling of knowing you are not alone. My community made my time out of home incredibly warm, enjoyable, and rewarding.

 

Now, as I look back on the last five years, I feel a sense of pride in my accomplishment, knowing I had a great time, did my best work, and connected with a great community of people.  I look forward to the end of my assignment with joy, knowing every pleasure and pain was so worth it.

 

My expat experience has helped me relate more to my Christian journey. It has given me a better meaning to life and God's purpose for bringing us all to the beautiful place called earth. We are expats on assignment to the world and will return to our home country, heaven, when our work is done.

 

One of the most asked questions people spend their lives trying to figure out is, what my assignment to earth is? What's my purpose in the grand scheme of things? While there have been many books and articles on how to find your purpose, I dare say it's not as complicated as it is made out to be.

 

My company sent me on an international assignment to solve a problem that I had the right skills and experience to solve. That's why they went through all the trouble and paid the bills to relocate me temporarily. In the same way, your assignment on earth is simply the problem you can solve. It aligns with your skills, natural likes, and experiences. That's it; that's your assignment. That is why you are here.

 

There is a lot to do to keep the earth running and functioning well, and you have to find your niche, where you fit well and contribute to our society as a whole. It may be a substantial one-off project like discovering a new energy source or an everyday occurrence like helping a little kid learn to read - no matter the scale, every function is equally important to have a whole functional society.

 

Whatever natural passion, energy, and skills you have, apply yourself 100% to it. That's your purpose, not something magical-out-of-this-world that should be accomplished with grandeur. It is, in fact, the problem you are naturally situated to solve. And whatever that is, find it, get skilled at it, and give it your best shot.

 

While on the job here on earth, enjoy the different foods, and cultures, and people you meet along the way. That's also part of living. Remember that at some point, your assignment on earth will come to an end. When it does, you want to be able to look back and smile with pride at what you have accomplished and the simple things you experienced.

 

We are natives of heaven, on assignment here on earth. Wherever you are on the face of this earth – find your natural flair, align it to a problem and step up to solve it. Enjoy every moment and experience - happy and sad, that comes along the way. Live well as Citizens of heaven  - kind, patient, loving, and peaceful people. Stay connected to your heavenly father, nurture your relationship with God. Keep a community of Christians to help you stay grounded.

 

Living is fun; enjoy your assignment here on earth and when your time is up, look back with joy and a sense of accomplishment.