Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ~Hebrews 12:1

Friday, August 23, 2013

Home with clean underwear

A wise friend of mine once said, "Home is where you have the most clean underwear."

This sense of "home" is one I've been toying around with all summer, because in May I moved out of my apartment and took my clean underwear many places throughout the summer. I did not have a place to call my own, but I was welcomed into the homes of many - graciously, lovingly and without question.

In Shane Claiborne's book, "The Irresistible Revolution," he questions whether or not Jesus was "homeless." True, he didn't have a place with a dresser where he kept his undies (not even sure if Jesus wore underwear...but we don't need to go there); however, throughout His ministry Jesus always had a place to enjoy a meal and lay His head at night. Friends and family took Him in everywhere He went - even from the humble beginnings of a stable. The important thing is not that people were there to invite Him into their home, but more importantly into their hearts and into their lives.

Throughout the summer, I was invited into many lives. From extended stays with friends to impromptu nights with church members, familiar grounds in the Northern Minnesota woods to foreign space amidst the Sequoia's in California, I was welcomed by my brothers and sisters in a way that made me feel deeply cared for and loved - in a place of home. I was never without a home, because I was never without the comfort of knowing there is a great cloud surrounding me.

I come from a place of great privilege where I chose to be without a roof over my head for a short time, but the experience was eye-opening none-the-less. I wish to thank everyone who invited me into their homes at some point this summer and everyone who invited me into a place of home, into their very lives.

As I sit here at the airport in Seoul, South Korea with my eight brothers and sisters with whom I travel to Malaysia, I feel whole. I have already grown to love them in a way that makes me feel at home. I can't wait to meet my host community and find yet another place of home when we arrive at our placement sites in a few short weeks to love, engage, hear stories and unpack our underwear.

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