Presence in New Places
For the past 4—5 years, the place where you consider to be “home” has subtly shifted. In addition to the home where your parent(s) and perhaps younger sibling(s) live, your college campus has become a sort of home away from home, and your friend group has become almost like family. But soon, the place where you call home is going to change again. You will soon graduate and move on to another place where you will meet new people and dwell in a new place. In fact, according to a study of migration patterns among American citizens conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, it’s estimated that you are likely to move at least 11 times over the course of your lifetime! Moving is hard on us—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It takes a lot of time and energy to find a job and a place to live, to develop new relationships, and new spaces and places don’t feel like home right away. But navigating the changes involved in a physical relocation after college is a reality of the adulting process, and how we approach this transition to a new home matters.
Recently, I’ve been thinking of “home” in terms of something else besides the physical address where I live or the town where I’m from. I’m beginning to think that home is not so much about a physical place as it is about the presence of people I’m doing life with. After all, it’s not the physical structure of a house or an apartment that makes it a home—it’s the people whose presence fills that space and the memories we create together that make the place feel like home. Physical places are important, but they sit empty without the presence of people in them.
The Bible provides wonderful wisdom on how to establish a God honoring home and what’s expected of Christian households, but there is a broader overarching theme that can be seen throughout the pages of Scripture: God desires to be present with people, and when we are in the presence of God, we are at home. As the Psalmist declares, “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home!” and “those who live in shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 90:1; 91:1). This can be seen in the Old Testament stories of the first humans who God walked and talked with. This can be seen in the New Testament stories of the incarnate God, Jesus Christ, who was the word that became flesh and dwelt among his people. And this can be seen in the vision the Apostle John had of the new heaven and the new earth—as he described in his own words: “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them’ ” (Revelation 21:3).
God’s desire is to be present with people, and when we are in the presence of God and in the presence of God’s people, we are at home. So, wherever you land after college, and whatever you call “home” in the months and years to come, remember that your true home is found in the presence of God.
Jim Vermilya serves as Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Strategic Operations and Associate Professor of Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, IN. He is an active member of College Wesleyan Church.
