Pack. Unpack. Pack. Unpack. Repeat.

Recently I had the thought “The world is my home” as I drove down the road in an unusually empty and quiet vehicle.

Then the biblical worldview buzzer went off.

Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it.

(1 Peter 2:11)

Okay Bible (God). I stand corrected.

I hadn’t really been thinking that I can call anyplace in the world my home or that I love all that this world has to offer, but just that we HAVE - out of necessity - made many places temporary ‘homes’ during this season. You have to work with what you’re given, right?

I was thinking about all the places we’ve laid our heads to sleep in the past eight months of world-wandering while waiting for visas to return to our North African home. I’ve done laundry, cooked meals, read to kiddos and tucked them into all sorts of beds in all sorts of accommodations all around the globe, literally. As “homeless” as I have felt at times, I am so thankful for the grace that God has given us to sojourn for such a long time with wee kiddos. It’s only been his grace that’s gotten me through. He is the biggest rock in my life. My husband is my second biggest rock… he’s been incredible through all of this too.

I have obviously been longing for some security, certainty, life-plans, personal space and routine in our lives for awhile now. But I realize how easily those things make us feel ‘cozy’ here on earth. They aren’t inherently evil, of course, but obviously God hasn’t chosen those things for our family during this season and that’s okay. I’m looking forward to a little stability the next few months… at this point it seems the right thing to do to for my children (and my sanity). I don’t think I would ever choose insecurity, uncertainty, an unknown future, lack of personal space and loss of routine for my family. But looking back I am thankful for all God has taught us through our wanderings.

God’s grace has covered us. God’s grace has covered ME (most of the time, Ha! Just ask my husband about those other times. Or don’t, on second thought.) I am so thankful that all this not-ideal bouncing around is a fairly good reminder that this planet is not my home. But that “Life is just a field trip, heaven is home”, as my friend Laurie says. Our lives these past eight months have literally been a field trip. I have the passport stamps, the worn out luggage, the tiny shoe wardrobe and the muffin top to prove it.

It’s normal for a woman to want to make a cozy place for her family. I’d even say it’s a God-given desire, since God made us the nurturers of our children. I LONG to make a cozy place for our family again, but I am (attempting to) embrace this season for all it has been, for all it continues to be.

And it does continue. The past few days have been spent packing (again). Today we’ll load up our minivan and our two precious munchkins to make the 20+ hour drive to Colorado to unpack and continue waiting from there. We still don’t know when or if we’ll get visas to return to Africa. We shed tears at the thought of having to close that season of our lives and we hope that it’s not the end. But we trust God. We know His plans are far better than ours. So we continue to push on doors. And until the day I find myself in my heavenly home, I’ll do my best to set us up another temporary home in another temporary place and thank God for the grace to continue walking through this season- these temporary homes- with joy.