things I miss:
- My memory foam bed
- My own bathroom
- My own room….(or really any personal space for that matter)
- Hot shower
- Flushing my toilet paper
- AIR CONDITIONING
- Drinking out of the tap
- Laundry machine & good smelling clothes
- A functional kitchen
- Nice clothes and actually feeling pulled together
- Greek yogurt & natural peanut butter
- Food with English labels so I actually know what I’m buying
- Normal American portions (as opposed to the 2 bites of food they give you here)
- Egg Harbor Cafe
- River City Roasters coffee beans
- Chick-fil-a (comes up @ least once a day here & have prayed to be teleported a few times)
- TARGET
- People who speak English at stores
- Streets that aren’t filled with trash and dirt
- Driving a car and blasting my music
- Orderly traffic
- Running into people I know around town (never thought I would miss small talk, but tbh I kind of do)
- Spending time @ coffee shops as a way to unplug and meet with people (as opposed to here going to coffee shops solely for wifi and to be in your own zone)
- A couch to lounge on and read
- Laying out at the pool
- Having people over to my house
- Weekend hiking trips
- My sisters & family & friends
- Quiet mornings in the suburbs where the only sounds are birds chirping (instead of masses of barking dogs and people blasting oldies @ the crack of dawn)
- Church in English (haven’t had that since Vietnam)
Never in a million years would I think that I would miss these things as much as I do. I seriously thought when I left for the Race in August that leaving these things behind would be so easy and I would just thrive in other countries. But that’s not the case. I really do love a lot of things about other countries, but I think the constant moving and traveling is getting to me along with the fact that I haven’t had a place to call “home” in 9 months.
It’s also funny how much we talk about missing home on the Race, but making this list really puts things into perspective: these things will all be here when I get home. (I need to declare this to myself every day)
There’s no point in rushing this season just to get to things that will still be there when I get home in 2.5 months.
PLUS, Jesus is worth the cost anyway!! Sure, some days are hard and I want basic comforts, but I would sacrifice it all again if I had to, because as much as I do love the things on this list, they will never eternally satisfy like Jesus does. In reality, I have everything I need right here because Jesus is with me every step of the way. When I take my eyes off of myself and look to Jesus, all of these earthly struggles wash away, and I remember the length and width and depth that He struggled when he was bearing our sins on the cross.
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. [Luke 22:44]
No suffering or lack of comfort that I feel will ever compare to the weight that Jesus carried and the amount that He suffered leading up to His death. Let me keep my eyes focused on Him because if I do, things that seem hard and like a big deal will suddenly become easier and easier, step by step, moment by moment. I can trust that He has my life in His hands, and I can trust that my delicious bowl of greek yogurt and my comfy couch will still be there when I get home. And even if it’s not, I’ll still make it through because Jesus is better.
