What's in a Name....

So I have finally decided to take the plunge and join the world of bloggers. I'm not sure if this will even come to anything, but I have just had several conversations with friends lately where each of us felt like no one understood what we were feeling, only to discover that the other one was going through exactly the same thing! So I'm here, in the hopes that something I've got to say now and then will possibly be an encouragement to you or someone you know.

My life so far has turned out nothing like I thought it would. I am 27 years old, quickly approaching 28. The Lord has taken me literally around the world and back, and now I find myself in a place where I've had so many adventures I never thought I'd have, but now living the life that a 22 year old is supposed to live. The whole, "Just renting an apartment til we figure out where to live and what to do with our lives" thing. I have never for one moment regretted the 4 years that we spent in East Asia. It changed my life in so many ways. It's where I met my husband, where I found a purpose so much bigger than myself, and ultimately where I feel that the Lord set a course for what will be the compass for the rest of my life. But aren't 27 and 30 year olds supposed to have steady jobs, a home, a settled life?

Which leads to the name of this post, and the name of this blog. The Lord has been so tender in reminding me recently of what this word "home" really means. Is it geography? Is it family? Is it a place with a big yard and a white picket fence? Just because these are always the ideas I've had of what "home" means, that doesn't mean it's NOT what the Lord has in fact provided me. In reality, as long as I'm in His will, as long as I'm following Him day by day, step by step, I'm home. Whether it be Oklahoma or China. Whether it be a house or an apartment. Whether it be close to those we love or far. Whether we know what tomorrow holds or feel like we are in a seemingly unending stage of transition. I've become convinced that "home" is me, my husband, and my baby girl following Jesus to the end of the earth and back, seeking to serve and to love that which is lost, and learning to be 100% where we are, even in the question marks.

In closing.... don't laugh at this, but.... my husband and I are one of those cheesy couples that actually has "our song." And it's right in line with the idea behind this post, so I thought I'd share the lyrics. It's actually a song that the Lord used to show me that Nathan was the man that He chose to be my husband. And to show me that the life that was in store for me wasn't going to look anything like I'd thought it would... but that in Christ, together with my husband and babe, I'm always home.

"Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms
There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life

If you knew how lonely my life has been
And how long I've been so alone
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along
And change my life the way you've done

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong

A window breaks, down a long, dark street
And a siren wails in the night
But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me
And I can almost see, through the dark there is light

Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I've waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy you are making me
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way the back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong ..."