Home At last

Church was awesome tonight. I mean you could feel the atmosphere charged up with the prayers of the saints. How I've missed the weekly prayer meetings. You actually don't know how much something or someone means to you until you lose them or are out of reach. I was away in Nigeria for seventeen days, barely had time to go to church, fellowship, study my bible or even pray (case of misplaced priorities). Had lots of places to visit and people to catch up with. In fact I was everywhere in that short spate of time that I barely had time for a proper rest. ` Nah wah for Nigeria! Don't get me wrong I love my place of birth but the stress is just too much compared with Ireland where the pace is less hectic and system much more organised(I said compared with Nigeria oh!). I remember almost having a heart attack on the drive home from the airport in Lagos. Every driver on the road kept blaring their horns and people kept dashing in and out of traffic. I screamed all the way and confessed my sins every time an errant driver overtook my brother who drove as crazily as the rest of them. Within a week of all the excitement of meeting family and friends, I had seriously had enough and couldn't wait to be back in Ireland. In six years, Ireland has become more than a place of Sojourn but has become HOME. Mind you, it hadn't always felt like home. Initially, it felt like a prison! I felt like I'd done something dreadful and I'd to be put away like a scarlet girl (you know in those schools that underage pregnant girls are put so they would not slur the family name). Over time, I've set up roots in Ireland, made friends and formed relationships. More importantly, I've grown and matured in my relationship with God. What has location got to do with my relationship with God you may ask? For me EVERYTHING! I had too much distraction in Nigeria. I was career obsessed and God took second place. For God to take priority, a surgical procedure had to be done. He had to take me out from the familiar and that included family, friends, a "fulfilling" career and a toxic relationship. It was painful initially but it was for my good that I might not miss out on the greater picture of God's plan for my life (yep, I learnt to change a light bulb all by myself....lol). The believer is called to a life of separation not necessarily a physical separation of being plucked from a particular location but a separation nevertheless from the world. Abraham was called out from his father's country and everything that was familiar to him in order to achieve God's purpose for his life. I'm sure it was hard for him why else would he be dragging Lot around him when the instruction given was clear enough.Gen 12:12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you". . The blessing of the promise came after the separation. Aside from being able to change a light bulb all by myself. Lol, I've learnt to trust God for provisions for the journey. He won't leave you hanging.For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughtsIsaiah 55:8-9". In the journey to fulfilment, you may have to lose friends, change habits and let go of the familiar but at the end it would be worth it. Don't believe me? Check out Abraham's profile in the bible, it says it all. After all is said and done, Home for the believer is not about a building or a particular place its about finding God and being CONTENT in him. In Christ, I AM HOME. My family....love and miss you!