They say home is where the heart is:
So what happens when you move?
My silence of late on all my blogs has been down to a rather hectic summer of searching for jobs, and consequently a new place to live. I was running out of money, running out of time, and running out of patience, when at the last minute the Lord provided me with a job and a home within the space of two days. Praise God!
If you have ever moved home then you know how stressful it can be! All the packing, then the cleaning, then stuffing car loads of boxes to all be unloaded and unpacked at the other end. It took me a whole day to move, and I couldn't have done it without my friends who so kindly laboured alongside me! I'm still unpacking 3 weeks later...
So aside from changing your address at every single place that you have some sort of membership and informing all your friends and family of where you are, there is a whole other process of convincing yourself of where 'home' is. I haven't moved very far, I'm still in the same city but have left the lovely village of Beeston behind, but it's still rather strange to settle into a new place. The roots of my heart have been removed from the familiar soil of my old place, and planted here on a fresh plot for me to adapt to.
Thankfully I am quick to adapt as I have moved so often, but this isn't the case for everyone. It comes to mind that Nottingham has a high student population as it is home to two universities and many colleges, students having come from all over the country, all over the world even. A lot of them will be here for 3 years or more having still not embedded their roots, and I find that strange. Is it healthy to have a loose heart flitting between different places? Surely we cannot grow if we don't get stuck in. I must be careful that I do not verge into idolatry of the home, as comforting as it may be it cannot and should not provide us with all the security we need. But if we fail to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the place in which we currently reside, then we are failing to be a true creature of the earth.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand and it came crashing down when a storm came. He spent little time, little effort, little thought on building his 'home'. The wise man built his house upon the rocks, and it stood firm against such tribulations. He spent time, effort, thought, and built his home sturdily with great purpose and great investment. If love is our intention, and we give our heart to our 'home', then we can remain safe and strong wherever we bury our roots, flourishing amidst the nourishment of a community.
We were made to nest.
It's about time 'community' had it's revival.
Root the heart - for home is where the heart is.
I spoke with a charming 21 year old girl at a mission conference last week in Wales. Her Father is English and her mother is Northern Irish and for 20 years their family worked in Morocco to advance the gospel until they got kicked out 3 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHer ginger hair and freckles tells her she's Irish. Her passport tells her she's British. Her cultural and social impulses tell her she's Moroccan.
Being that my children are being raised with a similar international melange, I curiously asked her, "So where is home for you?"
Her green eyes lit up as she asked, "`Home`?... You mean `Heaven`?"
Made my week.