where the heart is

Fact: This past week, I stayed in a different place each night, Monday through Friday.

I was well taken care of in each place, it's just crazy to think that sometimes I really do feel like a nomad, wandering around from place to place, searching for somewhere to call home.

I spent this past summer with my family in England and I had an absolutely wonderful time. I will admit, though, that towards the end I had my heart set on getting back to Auburn. Once I set foot on American soil, however, I was overcome by the heat and humidity, immediately ready to get right back on a one-way flight to England. In that moment, I was truly overwhelmed by the drastic differences between my life in England and what life would be like coming back to the States. As I thought about it, I realized that there are definitely things I love and don't love about each place. At the time, I did not love the rain and cold weather in England. I missed the sunshine! After getting back to the States, I was very happy to see the sun again, but realized how much I missed the cool, crisp air in the UK. When I'm in the States, I miss my family and England in general (I have to admit, I think I'm part British). When I'm in England, I miss my boyfriend, my friends, and other little things from the States (American food, Southern hospitality, etc.).

As I was thinking through this, I realized something...my heart will NEVER be completely happy anywhere that I live. I know this sounds pessimistic, but hear me out. There will always be something to enjoy in one place that you can't have in another. There will always be something that you will miss because you can't get it anywhere else. And the truth is, at least I believe it to be the truth, that God wired us to always have a longing for something more. A place in our heart that feels like something is just not quite right in making a place "home."

Because heaven is our home. 

God is teaching me to be most satisfied in HIM, rather than the things of this earth, and that I will always be a wanderer in this world until He calls me home. I am definitely 100% okay with this. If I were satisfied in calling this earth "home," then what would make heaven any more appealing? God wants us to long for His glory & presence in such a way that we canNOT wait to be with Him for eternity.

So here's to those of us who will wander on this earth until our Father calls us home. Let's make the most of every opportunity we have as we travel to new places and live for the moment rather than wasting time waiting for the "what's next," whether that may be college, a move you're hoping to make in the near future, or anything else. Live for today, and give all the glory to God.

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" James 4:13-15

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 (bold emphasis mine)

Grace and Peace.