There's no place like home!

Recently, we left our new home of Virginia to spend the holidays at home in Arizona. We were home for almost 6 weeks before we returned home to the farm. This adventure brought so many blessings, explains our blogging absence, but also has made us think alot about the idea of HOME.

Merriam-Webster defines home as: noun:

1. one's place of residence

2. a social unit formed by a family living together

3. a familiar or usual setting

4. a place or origin

5. an establishement providing residence and care for people with special care

6. the objective in various games ie: home plate

During the last weeks of transitions, actually during the last 3 years of transitions, God has been showing us an alternative definition of 'home'.

When we think of home, we feel safe, secure, at peace. Yet, there are times that we are in our residence, with our family members, at familiar places and still don't feel the calm peace that we associate with 'home'. Our house is safe, our family is loving, we have been familiar with these places for years... what is missing?

Perhaps, home is not found in our dwellings, or our place of birth, or even with our wonderful families. Perhaps we have put too much value in habits, memories, and emotions. God seems to be teaching us that we are only really at 'home' when we are safely, submissively in His will for our lives. He'll take care of the details that we dwell in.

When I was a little girl I heard a song by Anne Murray "You Can't Go Back Home" and I started to cry. As a child, the thought of growing up and never being able to return to my place of security was terrifying. Now, I see the wisdom.

Even though you can return to the house that you were sheltered in, or visit treasured people, or move back to the same zipcode, God never wants us to emotionally, spiritually regress. His perfect will is to grow, equip, and mature us in new seasons of life. During that process, he sometimes removes our safe, secure, peaceful feelings, even though our lives make sense 'on paper'. He stirs our hearts to seek and find the next chapter that He is leading us to. He removes the fulfillment that we once received from our current routines, even relationships and brings us clearly back into reliance on His leading.

After completing a life altering, heart testing, cross country move and now awaiting the transition to owning property of our own, I can honestly, thankfully say that we are finally safe, secure and at peace with our place in God's will. Even though Arizona no longer really feels like home and our new state of Virginia is not filled with familiar places or family, we are all confident that God will meet our needs, use our lives, and continue to be our refuge.

What a blessing that, while we are not yet at home in God's presence, we can enjoy His peace and his comfort while we labor through this life. Blessings to everyone who is accompaning us on this journey. Praying you feel more at home than ever in 2010!