Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Is it possible to claim to be in the center of God’s will? Maybe God isn’t a helicopter parent, and we have some latitude to operate within certain boundaries.

According to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), almost four million Americans, excluding military and government personnel, live overseas. Most of these expatriates are in Canada or Mexico, but a significant percentage live in Europe or the Pacific Rim countries in Asia’s Far East. Many are families with children learning to be “third culture kids,” and attending private schools.

At some point, these people asked themselves, “Do we stay here, or do we go back to the United States?”

It’s surprising how often this question pops up. In today’s Old Testament reading, the prophet Elijah repeatedly tells Elisha to “Stay.” He sounds like he’s talking to a disobedient dog. “STAY, Elisha, stay!” But Elisha doesn’t stay; he goes.

Americans tend to get restless. We have LinkedIn pages, we’re on recruiting boards, and we’re open for a change of scenery. In the 1950s, people flocked to...