"And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they longed for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11 : 13b - 16
Aliens and strangers... I have spent the past few days with a group of wonderful people who can all identify with these words. MKs (missionary kids), people who have lived in countries other than their "home" country, their passport country, because their parents have obeyed God's call on their lives to make disciples in a certain country.
These are young men and women familiar with the pain of good bye, the sorrow of departure, the disconnectedness of not quite fitting in, the deep love that grows in a person of a people and a place - many people and place, the wonder of God's grace and the power faith in Him.
These are people who are one thing on the outside - in our case, Australians, but on the inside, are a mesh of cultures. They've grown up in places all over the world, and their hearts are divided between countries.
They search for a country, for a place to belong - it's part of why we return to this camp, year after year, there, we are all a family. They recognize that they are out of place, that they don't belong.
And we hunger. No matter how long we have remained in one place, we hunger for a HOME.
And I think that that is one of the blessings of being an MK. That heightened sense of hunger for a home. It isn't quite homesickness, but in other ways, it is very, very much homesickness.
It's an advantage because we recognize, what others may fail to see, that our home is not actually on this earth. Having lived in so many "homes" we've found that none really satisfy this hunger, or at least, that's been my experience.
After all, as the writer of Hebrews says, if we're hungry for the country we were in, or even a country we might one day be in, than the solution is obvious. But the truth is, and we all know it, even if we aren't ready to admit it, not even that will sate our hunger for home.
Because the truth, the rare, simple, pure truth is: we are not hungry for a home on this earth, we are hungry for heaven.
Our true home is in the New Jerusalem, it is in the City that never sees night, because God Himself is the source of it's light, and He dwells in that City.
And whilst we find contentment in the knowledge that God is always with us, our souls always hunger for that final, true, unending home.
And this isn't just the case for MKs, it's a hunger that all humans experience, as this beautiful clip by MercyMe shows. But in MKs, this hunger is heightened.
Sometimes, I know from experience, the hunger grows and almost crushes us. The desire to go home can be overwhelming. The desire to see God's face can be overwhelming.
And yet... this desire, for all the pain that goes with it, is wonderful, as it drives us ever closer to God. At least, it did for me. That is to say, it does for me.
I am an alien and stranger in Australia.
There are times where I feel at home, times when I forget about my past life, but I never forget for long. It's part of who I am, part of my life, to be out of place.
As it is part of all those who have heard the voice of God... whether they realize it or no...
beautifully written :) x
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