There Are Places...

There are places I've been that I'd like to go back to. There are places I wasn't crazy about the first time so I wouldn't waste my time to go back. Of course, there are also places I've never been but would love to go. Some I may never get to. Some I may. One of them, I know without a doubt I'll see.

I'd love to walk into my Grandparents' back door even just one more time. I'd love to hear my Grandma shouting, "They're here!!" as I come into the back breezeway. I'd love to walk down their long lane with my Aunt just one more time to get the mail. I'd love to go back to Orlando. No, not to go to Disney World. I am happy I can say I've been there. But that's not my kind of thing. However, I'd go back to Epcot in a heartbeat! I'd love to go back to Nashville, Tennessee. I'd love to go back to Gaither's studio in Alexandria, Indiana. I wouldn't mind going back to the east coast. I would welcome a trip back to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. I would love to go back to Brazil and see Cristo de Redentor and Pao de Azucar again. I'd love to stroll the artistically laid tile sidewalks and have a bowl of grape ice cream at Mistura Tropical. Some of these places I may get to go back to. Some can never be revisited.

I dream of going to London, Italy, and Germany. I would love to go to New York to eat in a little diner, see a show, see Lady Liberty and visit Times Square. A trip to Chicago again would be fun. I would love a trip to Great American Ball Park to see my Reds play. I'd like to see mountains. Some of these I may see and some I may not.

One place I know without a doubt I will see one day I'm told has gates made of pearls and streets made of gold. I've gotten that information from a pretty reliable source. I have people waiting for me there. I have things here to do still. I'm not planning on a trip in the near future. However, I know that when my Host is ready for me, He'll bring me there. Matthew 7:21 says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." I am striving to live my life in the center of that will. I don't want to miss out on the plane-less flight to heaven when my time comes. I hope you won't miss that trip either!

Belonging

I had a sleepless night last night. Extreme shoulder pain coupled with the fact I was afraid I would miss all 3 of the alarms set to wake me up for work in the morning kept me tossing and turning. As I was turning on the invisible rotisserie, God placed this thought in my mind.

You know how it feels when you really feel like you're in the wrong place and don't belong there or with those people? I've felt that way. I'm sure we all have. You can feel that way at church, in your neighborhood, at a party, at work...I've felt it in most of those places. Sometimes it doesn't matter if you "belong" there or not. Sometimes you're not there for the people. But when you spend more of your waking hours someplace than anyplace else, it helps to feel like you belong. 

Last year I worked in a place where I felt like I didn't belong. Yes, I made a couple amazing friends and am thankful to continue those friendships. I loved each of my students dearly and miss them greatly! However, I truly never felt like I belonged. There were luncheons I wasn't included in, meetings I couldn't participate in, decisions made that I had no part in. The name tag on my mailbox was scrawled on a strip of paper rather than neatly typed and printed like everyone else had. I just really felt like I was not in the right place.

On June 10, I began a job that I thought would just last for the summer. However, the sense of belonging has been tremendous. The manager and assistant managers know me by name (and have since day1 - even without my name tag on!) I've been included in morning meetings, celebrations of milestones, etc. My presence at work is valued and I feel appreciated. They made it easy for me to decide to work part-time during the school year. 

There's another place I like to feel like I belong - and know for a fact I in fact do belong! That's in the family of God. The good news is, God chose me from the very beginning. He just waited patiently for me to choose Him as well. Even when I walked far from Him, He never let me go. He stayed there just waiting for me to come back. Yes, it feels good to feel like you belong in your church, your neighborhood, your place of employment. But feeling like you belong in the family of God is priceless!

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a