Tonight, I lay here quietly in my “home” in Washington D.C. letting my mind wander about my life in the past, present, and future. I start to reflect on all the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the things I’ve seen, but the truth is I can’t sleep. Every day that goes by is another day closer to when I leave with 39 amazing human beings to embark on The World Race through the “10/40 window”. Every day that goes by is another day closer to me leaving all I’ve ever known in my life to spread happiness and hope in a part of the world that has so much darkness. It then hits me and I realize I’m leaving the United States…and I’m leaving “home”.
So many emotions begin to circle through my head such as excitement and nervousness, happiness and sadness, and confidence and worry about what the trip will bring me. I think it’s natural to have these emotions run through my head because it shows that I’m human. If I didn’t have any nervousness or worry about leaving the country for 11 months into the 10/40 corridor then I’d be lying. Every time I began to have any of these negative emotions, I feel like Christ comes to me to reassure that everything will be okay. In fact, everything will be more than okay because we are traveling to the most untouched part of the world as far as Christianity is concerned to spread his love and word, so how can it not be okay? If I have the Lord by my side spreading the gospel in this part of the world then everything will work out perfectly because with God anything is possible. It’s so easy to think negatively in life about all the wrongs that can happen when life starts hitting you hard. Thinking negatively is easy to do, trusting in God is hard, but one thing I know is for certain, it’s worth it for his everlasting grace. His grace and love are what make me truly feel at “home”.
So what exactly is home? By definition, “home is the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family”. After reading that definition, it’s easy to start thinking of all of your personal definitions of home. Home could be someone who make you feel comfortable so you can be yourself. Home could be the roof over your head every night that keeps you safe. Home could obviously be where you grew up as a kid. There are even songs out there that makes us think of a moment in time or in this case “home”. Over the course of the first 24 years of my life I have called many places my home. The golf industry has taken me all over the east coast of the United States and I’m blessed that I can say that. I lived in places such as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Long Island, New York, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Fayetteville, North Carolina and to throw things more through a loop I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. At some point in my young life, I have called those places home because that’s where I lived at the time.
For a while, even though I lived in all of those cities between high school and college, I believed Cincinnati was my true home and why shouldn’t I have? It was where I was born and raised in that city and I’m proud to be from such an amazing place. It was where the people I love the most are from and some still live. Yet, after praying to God for a long time and starting to have a better relationship with him, I began to realize that Cincinnati wasn’t my “home”. It (was) my home for the first 19 years of my life and it was where I was born, but it isn’t my home right now. You can’t take away the fact I’m from there. I love my family so much and I’m forever grateful for their love and support over my lifetime. God chose me to come into this world in that particular place and live there, but every city I’ve lived in that I’ve called home (used) to be my home. It occurred to me that as I read that definition of “home” the word “permanently” stands out. Me living in all of those cities was permanently my home at the time, but it was only temporary technically speaking. It occurred to me that as I was talking to God, the most permanent thing was right in front of me the whole time, GOD and HIS KINGDOM. Most things in this life are temporary, including our “homes”, but one thing that is permanent in our lives is God. He leaves the light on for us when we get caught out in the rain because we sinned. He is the one who never lets go of us even when we push him off to the side. He sent his only son down to earth to die on the cross to save our sins so that we wouldn’t die into nothing. God sent Jesus to save us from sin and live eternally (permanently) in his Kingdom in Heaven. God and his Kingdom is our home because that is where we will live for eternity. All we simply have to do is reach out and accept him in our lives and live by him. If we can do those things, then HOME will be an awesome place to be when our time is up on this earth and God calls us HOME to be a part of his family and his Kingdom.
Tonight, I lay here quietly in my “home” in Washington D.C. letting my mind wander about my life in the past, present, and future. I start to reflect on all the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the things I’ve seen, but the truth is I can’t sleep. Every day that goes by is another day closer to when I leave with 39 amazing human beings to embark on The World Race through the “10/40 window”. Every day that goes by is another day closer to me leaving all I’ve ever known in my life to spread happiness and hope in a part of the world that has so much darkness. It then hits me and I realize I’m leaving the United States…and I’m leaving “home”.
So many emotions begin to circle through my head such as excitement and nervousness, happiness and sadness, and confidence and worry about what the trip will bring me. I think it’s natural to have these emotions run through my head because it shows that I’m human. If I didn’t have any nervousness or worry about leaving the country for 11 months into the 10/40 corridor then I’d be lying. Every time I began to have any of these negative emotions, I feel like Christ comes to me to reassure that everything will be okay. In fact, everything will be more than okay because we are traveling to the most untouched part of the world as far as Christianity is concerned to spread his love and word, so how can it not be okay? If I have the Lord by my side spreading the gospel in this part of the world then everything will work out perfectly because with God anything is possible. It’s so easy to think negatively in life about all the wrongs that can happen when life starts hitting you hard. Thinking negatively is easy to do, trusting in God is hard, but one thing I know is for certain, it’s worth it for his everlasting grace. His grace and love are what make me truly feel at “home”.
So what exactly is home? By definition, “home is the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family”. After reading that definition, it’s easy to start thinking of all of your personal definitions of home. Home could be someone who make you feel comfortable so you can be yourself. Home could be the roof over your head every night that keeps you safe. Home could obviously be where you grew up as a kid. There are even songs out there that makes us think of a moment in time or in this case “home”. Over the course of the first 24 years of my life I have called many places my home. The golf industry has taken me all over the east coast of the United States and I’m blessed that I can say that. I lived in places such as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Long Island, New York, Atlantic City, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Fayetteville, North Carolina and to throw things more through a loop I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. At some point in my young life, I have called those places home because that’s where I lived at the time.
For a while, even though I lived in all of those cities between high school and college, I believed Cincinnati was my true home and why shouldn’t I have? It was where I was born and raised in that city and I’m proud to be from such an amazing place. It was where the people I love the most are from and some still live. Yet, after praying to God for a long time and starting to have a better relationship with him, I began to realize that Cincinnati wasn’t my “home”. It (was) my home for the first 19 years of my life and it was where I was born, but it isn’t my home right now. You can’t take away the fact I’m from there. I love my family so much and I’m forever grateful for their love and support over my lifetime. God chose me to come into this world in that particular place and live there, but every city I’ve lived in that I’ve called home (used) to be my home. It occurred to me that as I read that definition of “home” the word “permanently” stands out. Me living in all of those cities was permanently my home at the time, but it was only temporary technically speaking. It occurred to me that as I was talking to God, the most permanent thing was right in front of me the whole time, GOD and HIS KINGDOM. Most things in this life are temporary, including our “homes”, but one thing that is permanent in our lives is God. He leaves the light on for us when we get caught out in the rain because we sinned. He is the one who never lets go of us even when we push him off to the side. He sent his only son down to earth to die on the cross to save our sins so that we wouldn’t die into nothing. God sent Jesus to save us from sin and live eternally (permanently) in his Kingdom in Heaven. God and his Kingdom is our home because that is where we will live for eternity. All we simply have to do is reach out and accept him in our lives and live by him. If we can do those things, then HOME will be an awesome place to be when our time is up on this earth and God calls us HOME to be a part of his family and his Kingdom.
