Spiritual Growth Moment ~ August 8th, 2021
HOME IN CHRIST
by Sarah Thomas
Whenever you go out of town for a long trip or vacation and leave our house locked up, you realize just how much it means to you. We recently went on vacation to Asheville and after about a week away, coming back into our house and laying on our own beds felt like a new beginning, at least in sleep. I’ve always enjoyed Asheville more than the rest of my family because I connect better with the mountains than the beach. In the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees all around you, with no phone service either, you can feel and smell the freshness in the air.
When I was younger I would climb everything I could get near. Cars, sheds, and trees of all sizes. It always scared my mom to death but being up in the highest branches, swaying with the wind was the place I felt most at home.
Another place that has felt like home for many years is Camp Trinity, a church camp near Emerald Isle that doesn’t allow phones or any hurtful words. I believe this summer was my 6th year going and every time, no matter who’s in my cabin or which counselor I get, I’ve always loved the feel of the wind through my hair and the peacefulness of those moments when we weren’t singing.
Although my real home is back in Wilmington, I have always found home wherever I feel closest to God, in the air. I know that sounds weird but if I close my eyes in the middle of a mountain trail, the top of a tree, or on the edge of Sanders Point, I can feel God in the wind breathing life into me. Hopefully, some of you have found what brings you closer to home with God and have filled your life with that feeling because, as Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz, there’s no place like home!