Home

Let me just start off by posting a disclaimer. This is in no way a discredit to either place that I call “home” and the sweet people that I love there.

That being said….

This week I have battled what most people would call homesickness. It is strange and honestly has hit me like lightening. I didn’t see it coming, it came out of nowhere and has left me feeling completely shaken. It’s difficult because after prayer and reflection I have been able to identify that I am not sick for Florida home. In a certain sense, Florida will forever be my home. It is where my family still resides. It is where I grew up. It’s what I know. But, the crazy thing is that Birmingham is slowly (and I mean slowly) becoming home. I will have been here 4 months on the 5th. But as Birmingham slowly becomes home I still ache. I can go through my days and rejoice in not having to use my GPS, or being able to give directions, or simply knowing what someone is talking about when they make a reference. But then, out of nowhere lightening strikes and I am reminded ever so quickly that I don’t belong. I can’t say that I can even pinpoint the moment that this happened within the last week. It was not a particular interaction, or situation….I just all of a sudden was overwhelmed with a feeling of displacement.

In a lot of ways I am beginning to feel like a sojourner. I must remind myself that near the end of my time in Florida that I began to feel that I did not belong. I began to grow a strong discomfort in places that had always given me a safe, and peaceful bliss. I think that that discomfort was a push to continue on my journey, to not stay, to move on.  A sojourner spends a short period of time in one place and then moves onto the next. It’s a painful process to not feel at peace within an environment. I know that even Jesus felt that way that I feel while on earth. In many ways, I am like the scribe that speak to Him in Matthew 8 saying, “Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go! But Jesus said, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but I, the Messiah, have no home of my own—no place to lay my head.” In the message translation Jesus says to the scribe, “Are you up for it?” I so desire to be up for the job. I long to follow Him, knowing that this means that there may come a day that I literally or figuratively have no place to lay my head. I am blessed now to have been welcomed by a very sweet congregation in Alabama who in their generosity has literally given me a wonderful place to lay my head at night. However, my heart wanders at times. This week it has wandered.

I am reminded that no place, person, or time will give you peace. True peace, even for the wanderer comes from Jesus Christ. So, as a sojourner I cling to Him. I cling to the Prince of Peace. He is my home. But for now, now I embrace this sweet journey that He has me on.

Author: Kelly

I am: a daughter a sister a granddaughter a friend a student a youth director an adventurer a Florida State fan and most importantly, a follower of Jesus Christ. I like to hula hoop and cook. But, not at the same time because that would be dangerous. View all posts by Kelly