Skip to main content

Homesick for Not Yet

Do you ever try new things and think that you're going to love them but then, it turns out that it actually wasn't what you were looking for? It always seems to happen when I have too much cash on hand and I can afford to spend a little to see if something new will help scratch the itch.

I think about that itch every now and then, that one that says life is good, but there's something missing. As I've got older it seems to be hitting more and more often. It's historically been called a midlife crisis but recently I remembered its true name, homesickness.

As Ambassadors for Christ, we live in this world, but it's not our home. It's not where we belong, it's a place where we get to represent our King and try our best to represent our homeland well. But sometimes we start to think that we can make this place a little more like our homeland if we just had a little more or that special someone or if I could change the way that I look or even feel.

Those things don't actually change our reality, we are far from home and we will always struggle with homesickness to some degree. Sometimes it's worse than others. Those days when we search the internet looking for connection, creativity, and community? For me, those are some of the loneliest days of all. I'm searching for something that can't be found on Instagram or Twitter, it can only be found by connecting to God, letting the Holy Spirit create in me, in deepening my relationship with Jesus. It's not ever going to out there in the world, that stuff that meets my homesickness and lets me know that my home is still waiting for me.

One of the problems is that the world can make us forget about our real home. It can fill us up with meaningless connections, keep us busy creating things that don't last, and surround us with people that aren't invested in our souls. And we don't notice it when we're swinging from one thing to the next, we figure out ways to dampen that homesickness and pretend that all is okay. But it also means that we miss out on things, things that matter.

When we don't rush away from that homesick feeling but instead lean in, God is there. There are love letters scattered throughout our lives reminding us that we'll be home soon, the pain is very real but it's temporary and fleeting. Today has promises hiding within its minutes and hours but if we're just looking for the next big thing in our lives, if we greedily reach for the things that numb our pain then we miss out on the amazing relationship that God has extended to us here and now.

I guess I should say that I'm not saying that it's okay to wallow in grief and heart break though sometimes it's really all we can do. What I am trying to say is that if we truly want answers for our restless hearts then we have to find rest from the Prince of Peace.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stories from the Kitchen: Taste and See

I celebrated my birthday last weekend. It was wonderful and the leftovers left me with a question or two. Find out what they are and how I'm currently answering them in this week's podcast. Stories from the Kitchen Season 2, Episode 2: Taste and See Notes from the episode: Taste and See by Margaret Feinberg Dad’s New York Cheesecake (from the back of a Philidelphia Cream Cheese package) 1 ⅞ cups graham cracker crumbs ¼ to ½ cup butter, melted 1 cup sugar, divided 2 lbs cream cheese (4 packs) 2 large eggs (lightly beaten) 1 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp cornstarch 1 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 450F Mix well graham crackers, 2 tbsp sugar, and enough butter that the mixture holds together. Reserve 2 tbsp for garnish. Press mixture onto bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Chill in the freezer while preparing the filling. Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and cornstarch until just blended. S

Tasty Tuesday: Roasted Broccoli

I ran across this recipe on Pinterest the other day that was labeled " The Best Broccoli Of Your Life. " I normally either steam our broccoli in the microwave or saute it with olive oil and red pepper flakes on the stove top. I decided this would be something to try. I did the salt, pepper and olive oil part of the recipe. I didn't have the majority of the other ingredients. In fact, all I had was a little bit of Parmesan  It was wonderful. Not the best broccoli of my life, but honestly, it was pretty close. And if I had the lemon juice and all that jazz, it may very well be the best. What have you been eating lately?

Together is a Beautiful Place by Bailey T. Hurley

  Have you ever wanted to be a better friend or been stumped by how to make your friendships more meaningful? If so, you might want to pick up a copy of Together is a Beautiful Place. Hurley does an excellent job of sharing ways to connect with people that you know and how to easily take your relationships from surface level to deep and meaningful parts of your life. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Hurley incorporates surveys and other data to give insight into relationship building. She shares that it takes 90 hours of social interaction to consider someone a friend. When you’re only seeing each other in passing, it will take much longer than when you carve out time to specifically be with people.  Overall, Together is a Beautiful Place is an encouraging and helpful read. Exactly what I needed as I continue to make friends in life.  I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for the purpose of review. I’m never required to say nice things about books but I’m always