Home

I recently just returned from a trip to Ireland. My dear friend and sister in Christ, Alex, was getting married. And from the day that I heard of her engagement, I knew that I was destined to go. Let's just say that it was a trip to remember. Honestly, that just scratches the surface. Since I have returned home to Savannah, I have been seeing how my journey home is the true lesson of what God is teaching me right now. He's teaching me about the essence and value of relationship and how we learn that at home. To be quite honest, I must confess that I am not very good at doing the family thing. Like many Americans, I have functioned in independence for so long that learning to be dependent on others is a challenge. But I'm learning that it is the kingdom way. It is the way that God destined us to be from the beginning of time. From day one, He has designed us to be dependent--dependent on Him and lost without Him. Many times, we will try to convince ourselves that we are fine on our own. But that's a lie. Jesus wants our home to be in Him (John 15). He yearns for us to yearn for him and to recognize our need for Him. And yet, this is the first lesson--to be dependent on God. But yet, He didn't leave us there with just our relationship with Him. He wanted us to share life--share relationship with others. So, home and family were created to go through this beautiful thing called life. For the past 7 months, I've been "learning" home. I've been coming home and seeing the impact it has on the world. It's our classroom for everything that we'll do when we leave. It is my desire to impact others for the kingdom and to ignite them in their call. I long to challenge and to release. But, I can't do that on my own or when I fail to let others in because of pride. So, you could say that Ireland--a wedding in Ireland--taught me about how much I need others and how much I need Jesus. It taught me about the power of family, forgiveness, and redemption. I learned the Gospel all over in a deeper way. May you know the value of family, intimacy, and relationship. May you be encouraged to go through the door called "HOME."