Dwelling Place

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Banana leaf with morning dew
The leathery flap of bats wings’ and the incessant chatter of the cicadas fill the night. Moths slap against my back porch light, the house creaks as a cool descends in the valley and the old wood shifts and shrinks into its familiar shape. Five months back in Papua New Guinea. It feels like a blink and forever all at once. Dirt roads and taro plants and banana trees seem normal to me now and my world of blinking lights and racing cars and grocery stores seems a million years away.

Home is a strange word for me ever since leaving my family over 2 years ago to come to Papua New Guinea. It feels confining to me now, like a coat that has shrunk and my hands dangle awkwardly from its sleeves, now too short.  Dwelling place. Now there is a term I can understand. A place where you linger and choose to stay, that has a feeling of comfort and familiarity. This is probably much like the definition of “home” but a dwelling place is more broad and allows more things into it. Like people and places and most importantly God. He is my dwelling place. My location may change but He does not. He is grand enough to encompass every place and every person, and yet close enough to be my strength and hope and help when I am wandering. God has become my dwelling place. Wherever He is, I am home. When I am in the USA I am home and when I am in Papua New Guinea I am home. I am home because He is home and He has set up His dwelling in me and I in Him. The words of Jesus always boggled my mind when He said, “ I am in the Father and the Father is in me, “ and when He said, “You are in me and I am in the Father.” Now…. Now I’m beginning to scratch the surface of understanding this great mystery; the mystery of abiding in, dwelling with Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit who are one.

I’m preparing to transition again this week to a new house here on the center and my definition of home will morph and expand once again. However, I know that my dwelling place is, and forever will be, Jesus and because of that I can rest secure and at peace no matter what lies ahead.

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