I’m writing from my balcony in Malaga, Spain. It’s an unusually overcast day (week, actually) in Spain’s Costa del Sol which enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year. The gray sky seems to match the mood of a country in lockdown (day 10), a world in turmoil.
For me, it has taken quite a bit of time to untangle and survey all of the emotions that have been suddenly brought on by this global pandemic called covid-19, much less to be able to sit with them, feel, and tend to them.
As a mental health counselor, an expat living outside of my passport country, and generally speaking, a human, I am blessed/cursed with a connection to the needs of the world around me. The loss of lives and the secondary losses that are coming to all of us have weighed on me. At times like these, it can be overwhelming.
I love my pilgrim life. I wouldn’t trade it for any other. Most days, I’m in touch with friends on various continents, the distance by plane seems to be eclipsed by the nearness of our experience as global nomads. So, when the threat level in the US is raised to 4, and Americans living abroad are encouraged to return home or face staying indefinitely, I was struck with the level of paradox that presents.
For the global worker, the pilgrim life has redefined our sense of HOME. Home is not only places (multiple), but also experiences and people. Maybe primarily people. Home for us is a beautiful, complex web of life lived and loved across cultures. The world seems to contract and expand at the same time.
So, I sit here, aware of the experiences of disorientation. My own, and that of global workers around the world. For some, a return to their passport country was the best thing, and for some it was best to stay in place. It’s likely that every decision is accompanied by loss and uncertainty.
Dear fellow pilgrims, may you embrace the grace to honor the whole range of emotions that present themselves at this time. These are evidence that you have loved and have been rooted in all the places God has taken you. Do not numb or attempt to bypass awareness, but allow your experiences to lead you to our compassionate Father who meets you where you are. Rest and wait. You (we) will be reoriented in due time, your purpose renewed. As we connect to our own hearts, we will spark meaningful connections with others.
Dear friends and family of global workers, you can best love your sent ones by seeking to understand this unique experience of HOME. While they will enjoy life-enriching presence of those where they are, there is a simultaneous ache of the “home” where they are not. Those suddenly returning “home” to their passport culture need space for this range of experiences. Those still “home” in their host culture may be grieving changes of teammates, friends, and generally feeling the distance from family.
Home is where we are seen and known. Perhaps we can spark that sense of home by engaging in this conversation? Who around you can you ask about where or who home is for them? You can be a safe place by being willing to hold the array of experiences and emotions offered by another.
In the midst of this, let’s cling to Jesus, who understands the experience of leaving home, and was a sent one too. In this time of facing our limits, may we be found faithful to point our hearts and those around us towards our most enduring home in Christ.
Thank you for giving those of us who pray a better understanding of just what Home means to those serving Jesus in their non passport home.