Jeremiah 29:5-7
“Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and don’t be diminished. Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”
This passage is part of a letter from the prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish exiles in Babylon in the 6th century BCE. They had been forcibly removed from their homeland by the Babylonian Empire, and many hoped for a swift return. Jeremiah's message here instructs them to settle in for the long haul.
What does it mean to build a life where you are, even when it's not where you expected or wanted to be?