Saturday, January 25, 2014

Be satisfied

I sat in the plane, totally in awe that I could fly around the world in less than a day. That a simple plane ride connected me from my place of birth to the place of my deep longings. It made the world seem small.
Only a plane ride and I would be home.

It was the first time flying that I never once felt anxious. Excitement grew in my spirit and peace filled my bones.
I could hardly believe that this was the fourth time stepping back into this beautiful country.
I prayed quiet thanks and declared goodness over the months to come. So much anticipation, so much joy.

I quickly gathered my bags and stepped into the hot air. It was late when I got in but it felt like a perfectly warm summer night. I forgot what it was like to not need a coat.
The air, the night life, the bustling city, all of it was so sweet.
And I breathed it in with deep satisfaction.

The drive the next day was a rush of all the little things that I so love...
Kids playing with tires, shops along the road, miles of endless green, banana plantations, bicycle and motorcycle taxis, mothers washing buckets of clothes, men digging deep in the red soaked soil, community gatherings, neighbors visiting one another, movement, stillness, simplicity.

It's hard to fully describe what it's like to be here but it just feels right. There is such profound contentment when you step into what God has created you for. It's a smile that continuously stretches itself across my face. It's a continual enjoyment of the little things. Birds singing melodies, my sun licked face, bright faces and a warm welcome.

It's making a home inside the heart of God.

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”
-Frederick Buechner

1 comment:

  1. Wow. I have goosebumps because I have felt this so strongly and so deeply for my home, South Africa. We are deliberately taking steps right now to move back. It's in me, never far from me and when I get on that plane, the smile will already stretch. I love the line you wrote "It's making a home inside the heart of God." God created South Africa and created Chris and I for it. I love the people, the simplicity, the ocean, the everything. My mom asked me why I loved South Africa, if it was to "witness" to people. My response was that it's all encompassing and that I can't sum it up in one word. Because it's not just to "witness", I am one of them and I love them so deeply that it goes beyond simply "witnessing". They are not just some people but my people. South Africa is part of me. It's like a tattoo...you can try to rub it off, but it won't go away. For some time we prayed about doing other things but it always comes back to South Africa. I started going there when I was 19 and now I'm 32. There is a line by the group Maroon 5 that says "If I fall for you, I'll never recover. If I fall for you, I'll never be the same". It's part of us and always will be. We hope to make it permanet

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