Monday, January 18th. RAISE YOUR TENTS campout has begun! My first night out under the canopy of creation is over. Phew! A skeptic might say - one down and six to go! Actually, even though we were covered with the shroud of misty rain, the embrace of the dark, damp night didn’t halt the campfire conversations and sharing time in stillness and friendship. What began as a relatively comfortable evening dropped steadily down to low temperatures with ice on the tent in the morning.
I was struck by the solemnity and stillness of this new temporary “neighborhood.” The occasional distant noise of a plane far overhead; the infrequent clap of the plastic sanican door slamming shut (I was one of those late-night visitors); the drone of car tires passing by on occasion with splashing noise from water on the ground; a neighbor “two doors down” is snoring and I can hear it; cool moist air penetrates my skin and settles into my bones — I long for the sun to rise but it’s only 2:30 AM
HOMELESS - away from home; away from convenience; away from comforts (relatively speaking); away from my family. No late night cuddles next to the one I love. No pictures on walls and carefully placed heirlooms to remind me who I am. HOMELESS - away from what grounds me and what defines me; away from belonging, significance and centeredness. What is it like to live alone in a tent, a car, a stairwell, a box, a storage unit? What is “HOME” to you? Jesus said, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home” (Luke 16:9 NLT). May your stay here on earth be punctuated with opportunites to remember your true address and family…169 Luke Street! 