Home is where the heart is, where you lay your head, where the pants aren’t (#dooley134), wherever I’m with you (whoever that you may be), where you feel loved.
At least that’s what some folky songs, a sign in a dorm room, and old adages tell me.
I’ve been a home-body my whole life. I love adventure. I love leaving, exploring, seeing new places, experiencing new parts of the world, but there’s nothing sweeter to me than going home. There’s just something so special about being rooted so deeply somewhere; about carrying memories and lessons that are synonymous with a place, having landmarks that help you remember the formational experiences you’ve had and the lessons you’ve learned; about having people there more dear to your heart than the places themselves.
But home has been hard to define this summer. I’ve had my childhood home as home base, but I’ve had twenty-five different places to call my bed for at least one night since graduating three months ago. Twenty-five. I haven’t stayed anywhere too long (my longest stint was the first three weeks following graduation), and I’ve packed and unpacked bags more times than I’d like to count.
And it’s been good. So good. I’ve celebrated marriages, explored outdoors, been a short term/fill-in nanny/tutor, visited dear ones, and seen so many beautiful people and places. And hardly ever have I felt like I wasn’t home.
Being home might mean being where all of those things listed above are, but I’m starting to see that being home is so much more than that. It’s more than being where we feel our earthly roots are, where the ones who have shaped us are, where we feel free to be exactly who we want to be, where we feel loved.
Being home is being right where the Lord needs us to be right now. It’s where our hearts line up with His. It’s wherever we’re abiding in His presence and following what He has for us. It’s being rooted in his love and living like it.
This morning I left what I’ve called home for 22 years and a few days. I said two of the hardest goodbyes I’ll say, and I took one last, long look at Rainier for a while from the plane. I will be in Atlanta for a few more days of training and on August 8th, my squad and I will depart for Serbia. My most wonderful team I could ever ask for and I will head on to Novi Sad, Serbia where we will partner with a church to help run children’s and teen’s camps for the community.
Maybe this is the too much caffeine talking, but this feels a bit more like going home than leaving. Despite any uncertainty I’ve experienced up to this point, the Lord has used so many different people and so many situations to speak such affirmation and encouragement over the next 11 months. He’s really good at that. Thank you for being those people. I won’t be where I’ve ever been, with people who have journeyed through life with, where I’ve built memories and relationships, but I will be with my Father, where he’s rooted me deep in his love and is growing those roots ever deeper.
I am so excited to share this journey with each of you, to experience home and so many other things in new ways, to share the joy and peace I’ve come to know through being rooted in the only perfect love to ever exist with so many in so people many places.
Here’s to finding home all over the world.
Would you pray for my squad and I as we transition into life on the World Race; that we would be people who are willing to press in to the uncomfortable, that we get the hang of this new way of life, and that we would be united as one as Christ is one with the Father so that those we minister to will know His love. Would you pray for comfort as we’ve said/say our see you laters, and comfort and affirmation for those we leave? Finally, would you pray for our ministries – for open hearts, for wisdom as we navigate new situations and build relationships, and for Christ to be seen in all that we do?
Thank you thank you thank you thank you.
