It's so easy to get wrapped up in our experiences that when we find ourselves out of our element, we succumb to a sort-of disconcerting confusion. Have you ever experienced that? It's not something I'd recommend. Life's too complex to create paradigm-shifting moments on our own. But when God comes through like a whirlwind and shifts both your focus and your circumstances and you find yourself in the aftermath, a different person, take heart.
"Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)
Whether it's moving out, moving away, going to college or wherever, it's very important you retain your personhood before the Lord. That might sound like too stark a statement to take seriously, but one of the strongest temptations we encounter when we walk into a new neighborhood, is this idea that we can reinvent ourselves in light of this vacuum we're stepping into.
"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his (or her) stature?" (Matthew 6:27)
Freedom in this world is a heady thing. The funny thing about Freedom, is that without focus and drive, its auspices don't actually mean much. Maintaining our focus on God in whatever way we've elected , in love and worship (different for everyone), is the way we keep going when presented with the overwhelming sea of personal freedom. Time can be the enemy when all we have is time and no purposeful activity with which to spend those minutes. "In your patience, possess ye your souls." (Luke 21:19)
"And Moses was content to dwell with the man (Reuel): and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land." (Exodus 2:21-22)
Moses spent forty years in the wilderness because he thought it best to dispense judgment on an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew slave. The thing is, he was effectively reinvented during that time. Everyone goes through a purging and cleansing desert experience if they're being led of the Lord. It'll last as long as God allows—His timing, don't forget. So whether you're at the beginning of your desert sojourn or nearing the end, Jesus is right by your side.
"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day." (Psalm 25:4-5)