"All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11: 13-16)
I' ve read these words before, but they hit me in a new way
recently: to long for a better country, a heavenly one; to not look back, but to
look with hope toward what is to come.
To admit (and live in the knowledge) that we don't fit in the
brokenness of the present is to acknowledge that we are longing and looking for
the coming Kingdom. Admitting that we don't fit is uncomfortable, painful, and
difficult. It means letting go and recognizing what keeps us in chains. But it
is also freeing.
I can pretend that I am not different from (in your case, the Nicaraguans around you) and can
take offense when people point, laugh, stare, or mock. Or, I can simply admit
that I am different. The same is true of following Christ. I can squirm and hide
and get anxious about doing things that seem strange to others. Or, I can
embrace being different and be faithful to God's call.
There is freedom in being foreign and strange--freedom to wear
bright pink sunglasses and have crazy hair because people are going to stare no
matter what. There is freedom to follow Christ with every part of ourselves
because we're never going to fully meet the world's expectations and
standards--and we don't have to.
We are free to look around and know that we do not belong--free
from all that anxiety about not being who others think we should be. We are free
to be God's because we are citizens of a better country.
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