They say that home is where the heart is. Well if home is where the heart is, then I’m screwed, because I don’t know where to call home. There’s a quote I found shortly before I left for Swazi that captures this sentiment:
“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving people in more than one place.”
My heart is elsewhere. My heart is everywhere.
My heart is in Tashville, Nennessee.
My heart is in St. Clair, Michigan.
My heart is in Canada (I’m not exactly sure where in Canada).
My heart is in West Palm Beach, Florida.
My heart is in Roanoke, Virginia.
My heart is in TEXAS(We don’t need to give specifics because Texas is just so great).
My heart is in East Troy, Wisconsin.
My heart is in Des Moines, Iowa.
My heart is in St. Charles, Illinois.
And Lord in heaven my heart is in Swaziland. It’s all over Swaziland.
Something my team and I kept discussing near the end of our time together was this: Why does God ask us to do such hard things? Why does God ask us to fall deeply in love with a group of people who all live particularly far away from each other, and then split you all up again in the blink of an eye? Why does God ask us to welcome terminally ill children into our hearts, knowing full well that there is nothing we can do for them? Why does God ask us to pray over people on the streets of a forgotten city to no avail? Why does God do this?! Why is this so hard?
If you think about it, though, almost every aspect of following Christ is hard. Repenting is hard. Forgiving is hard. Listening is hard. Turning the other cheek is hard. Sharing the gospel is hard. This thing we signed up for? This following Christ thing? Yeah. It’s hard.
The Lord knows this, though. He designed it this way. James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” The Lord calls us to be joyful in times of hardship because that means we are growing. God called us to Swaziland. That was hard, and then we grew. God called us to community living. That was hard, and then we grew. God called us to love each other well. That was hard, and then we grew. And now, God has called us back to America(or Canada), possibly the hardest part of all. However, the growth is coming. What I know is this: God calls us to the hard stuff because he knows we need it, and even if it means that my heart is now in 30 places at once, I’m going to be better for it. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving people in more than one place. I think it is well worth it.
