We arrived home for a month visit on Tuesday night around midnight. The flight home was long, but much better than the flight over. The kids knew what to expect, and the routine was familiar. The airplane, security, passport control, checking in luggage, etc. There was much less crying on this flight than the first time. 4 flights totaling 21 hours plus an overnight in Moscow and 6 hours of layovers made for a long trip. Praise the Lord everything went smoothly, and we came home healthy. I always think of all the germs and viruses that are in the stale airplane air and all around the crowded airports.
It is really nice to be "home". The kids were more excited than Christmas and stayed up the first night until 3 AM playing with all their stuff. Of course they were on Khabarovsk time still, as the next night they went to sleep at 9, only to wake up at 1:30 and stay awake playing until 5 AM. 5 AM translates into 9 PM Khabarovsk time which is bedtime. The third night was much better, and they all slept mostly through the night with the help of a late night movie and a little melatonin in an applesauce snack. C6's comment was "It is SO nice to be home!". C9 said yesterday, "I forgot that we weren't in Russia!" Later when asked about returning, he said "I don't want to go back." I replied that he would miss his friend Riles if he didn't go back. His reply was, "I do want to go back. Just not now." Glad they are content in the present.
The thing about coming back is that we all appreciate our home and the blessings here so much more. It is of course human nature to take for granted what one has. The kids appreciate their home and yard and toys and of course grandparents. They are truly savoring every moment. It is easier for me to have a lighter hold on the material things of this world as well. I can enjoy the material blessings for what they are, but I realize that they are only fleeting. Not only in the sense that we are going back to Russia soon but that everything God gives us He can give and take away. And that none of it we will take with us. This life is temporary. Don't think that we are suffering in Russia. We have many material comforts there. We have a nice apartment, a car, a water heater, a nice courtyard playground, money to buy food, etc. But compared to life in America, it is not easy. Life just isn't easy there for anyone. If you want to see what I mean, come visit us, and I will show you around.
What I am learning and maybe many of you have already learned is that God doesn't intend for life to be easy. As Americans, we tend to think life should be easy. Think about your own life. Isn't that true? We like our comforts and everything is set up to be convenient. Not that these are necessarily bad things. But when we begin to believe that God intends for us to have an easy life and question why things aren't so, there begins to lie a problem. It can even become an idol. Parenting isn't easy. Having 4 lively and strong-willed children isn't easy. Homeschooling isn't easy. Living in a different culture isn't easy. Marriage isn't always easy. Walking with Christ isn't easy. These are messy things. Most of our ancestors understood this and accepted this. They didn't walk away from life when things got hard. Culturally, people didn't walk away from marriages or friendships when things got hard. They didn't move when things got hard. They stuck it out and persevered, or we wouldn't be here today. Have you ever read any missionary biographies? Much of the Christian population would be unevangelized if this were the case. How I respond to the "uneasiness" is where it gets real. How do I live a life of joy and contentment and peace even when it gets messy and hard? This is the daily walk of a believer. Trusting in Him not when it is easy, but when life gets hard.
It is really nice to be "home". The kids were more excited than Christmas and stayed up the first night until 3 AM playing with all their stuff. Of course they were on Khabarovsk time still, as the next night they went to sleep at 9, only to wake up at 1:30 and stay awake playing until 5 AM. 5 AM translates into 9 PM Khabarovsk time which is bedtime. The third night was much better, and they all slept mostly through the night with the help of a late night movie and a little melatonin in an applesauce snack. C6's comment was "It is SO nice to be home!". C9 said yesterday, "I forgot that we weren't in Russia!" Later when asked about returning, he said "I don't want to go back." I replied that he would miss his friend Riles if he didn't go back. His reply was, "I do want to go back. Just not now." Glad they are content in the present.
The thing about coming back is that we all appreciate our home and the blessings here so much more. It is of course human nature to take for granted what one has. The kids appreciate their home and yard and toys and of course grandparents. They are truly savoring every moment. It is easier for me to have a lighter hold on the material things of this world as well. I can enjoy the material blessings for what they are, but I realize that they are only fleeting. Not only in the sense that we are going back to Russia soon but that everything God gives us He can give and take away. And that none of it we will take with us. This life is temporary. Don't think that we are suffering in Russia. We have many material comforts there. We have a nice apartment, a car, a water heater, a nice courtyard playground, money to buy food, etc. But compared to life in America, it is not easy. Life just isn't easy there for anyone. If you want to see what I mean, come visit us, and I will show you around.
What I am learning and maybe many of you have already learned is that God doesn't intend for life to be easy. As Americans, we tend to think life should be easy. Think about your own life. Isn't that true? We like our comforts and everything is set up to be convenient. Not that these are necessarily bad things. But when we begin to believe that God intends for us to have an easy life and question why things aren't so, there begins to lie a problem. It can even become an idol. Parenting isn't easy. Having 4 lively and strong-willed children isn't easy. Homeschooling isn't easy. Living in a different culture isn't easy. Marriage isn't always easy. Walking with Christ isn't easy. These are messy things. Most of our ancestors understood this and accepted this. They didn't walk away from life when things got hard. Culturally, people didn't walk away from marriages or friendships when things got hard. They didn't move when things got hard. They stuck it out and persevered, or we wouldn't be here today. Have you ever read any missionary biographies? Much of the Christian population would be unevangelized if this were the case. How I respond to the "uneasiness" is where it gets real. How do I live a life of joy and contentment and peace even when it gets messy and hard? This is the daily walk of a believer. Trusting in Him not when it is easy, but when life gets hard.
1 comment:
Good thoughts.
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