I believe we all desire to belong somewhere — to be a part of a community and know we are accepted just for who we are. We recently moved back overseas after coming “home” to the States for a year-long furlough. And maybe because of this, the issue of belonging — of finding my place — is once again on the forefront.
What my heart really yearns for is a place to call home — where I can rest unafraid of rejection.
And no matter where I’ve traveled to — I haven’t been able to find it fully. Coming back to the States was in many ways coming “home” and yet in some ways, I felt lost and out of place. A lot can change when you’ve been away for 14 years.
Now that we are back in Czechia, I’m reminded daily that I will never be “Czech.” I’ve lived through this experience before — of being a foreigner when my parents immigrated to the U.S. You’d think that as an adult, I’d handle the experience a whole better but I find that the pain is still there.
And this pain of not quite fitting in — of not fully belonging in any one place is a hard one to live with. I resist it and find ways to ignore it but to no avail.
So I do the only thing I know to do — take this longing to belong and give it as an offering to my Heavenly Father. He sees my pain and understands it much better than I do.
And as I do, I realize that finding a home, a place to belong, is not a physical quest but rather a spiritual one. It’s not dependent on where I live or whether those around me accept me or not.
The truth I’m learning is this — the only place where my heart can fully rest unafraid is in my Father’s heart — where I’m loved and accepted just as I am. This is my true home, where I truly belong — and friend, it’s also where you belong.
Leave a Reply