As my church goes through Purpose Driven Life study, one of the day’s topic touched on how the Christians should ponder on our lives as those of aliens and transient people. Why? Because this place called Earth is a transient place for us.
Thinking about that, I again remembered how my life has been moving from one place to another, not having lived in a place for more than 4 years (except for Houston!). It encompasses 3 countries (S. Korea, England, and U.S.), 3 states (NJ, MA, TX) and countless cities (Chonju, Seoul, London, Harlow, Parsippany, Worcester, Austin, Houston). Except for Houston and Chonju, I have always lived in each place for 4 years or less. Even if I did live in Chonju and Houston more, I have always moved around.
Moving around and living in apartments have always been my life. Transient life has been my story. That’s why Hebrews 11:13-16 have always hit home and been my life verses. The reason this hits home more than ever is because of all the pressures around me lately of “investing” in a home. Though there are countless practical reasons to owning a home, I have never had huge desire. People are always telling me how I’m throwing money away, but now I feel that if I do buy a home, I feel like I am abandoning God’s calling of this transient lifestyle.
I’ve always felt and knew that this would be the foundation of my future as a missionary, be it here or elsewhere, and I knew that God made me live such a life for a reason. For me to leave that now is to abandon His calling for me. Though I may have hated living such a life in the past of my youth, I thank God for such experiences and privileges… and I pray that my kids would as well.