#32 A Journey Home

Hey Friends, we are in a heat wave….it is so hot outside and it is only June. Hopefully, this is not an indication of what the summer is going to look like. 

I recently saw this quote on a church sign, “we are just walking each other home.” As I said the words over and over in my mind, I realized what a powerful statement it was. When you look at our lives from the simplest point, our goal is to get one another to Heaven. Everything you do outside of that is simply busy work. 

As I thought about this quote, I thought the word home could have a couple of translations.

First home could mean, rediscovering who you are at your innermost being, your heart and soul. Our world is so busy. You are constantly being pulled in a million different directions. You get on the hamster wheel of life searching for the next promotion, more money, the next new car, more things for your closet, or whatever shiny object catches your eye. You begin living your life from the outside in rather than from the inside out. You place your value and worth in material goods and in other people's approval. This means it is never good enough, you have to run faster and faster on the hamster wheel to keep up with today’s culture. It is exhausting and you may find yourself feeling more and more empty, experiencing very little joy because you are focused on the wrong things. I often have clients who tell me that they should feel happy because they have everything…. A nice house, a great family, they have all the stuff, they travel but something is missing. They are searching but can never find that shiny object that fills them up. 

Guess what, you can fill your house with the latest and greatest objects until it is bursting at the seams, but happiness can still allude you. What your heart and soul need are not new objects, but space for prayer, being filled at church, and fellowship with others on the same journey towards heaven. 

I am hosting a summer challenge with a group of women. The very first question I gave them as we set their goals and intentions for the challenge was very simple, but required deep thought.

What do I need right now?

Do you ever ask yourself this question? Do you allow yourself to answer this question? Most of the time you probably assume what you need based on what you think society would say or how you compare your life to others. 

When you find yourself searching for the next shiny object, it is because there is hole you are trying to fill. You need something, but it isn’t a thing. You are trying to find your way home, back to who you are and who you are called to be. 

All of the busyness and stuff distract you from how you feel on the inside. Maybe they cover up feelings of unworthiness, unhappiness in your relationships, fear, self-doubt or even self-loathing for mistakes you’ve made in the past. 

So, how do you make it back home to yourself, so you can live without the burdens you’ve placed on your shoulders?

First, ask yourself  “what do I need?”  When you find yourself ready to hand over your credit card for that next purchase or checking facebook to see how many likes or shares you’ve gotten ask yourself….what do I really need in this moment? What feeling am I pushing away…anger, unworthiness, anxiety? It is ok, to feel all of those feelings. Those feelings aren’t negative until you act on them in a negative way. They certainly don’t feel good when you experience them in your body, but feelings cannot hurt you. When you just sit with a feeling and allow yourself to feel it without acting, you connect with yourself. You allow yourself to live from the inside out. Give yourself permission to fill that need that you have with what you truly need, connecting with your heart and soul…your home within. 

Maybe you need to give yourself permission to step off the hamster wheel…..to stop, to rest, to relax, to have fun, to simply do nothing but enjoy nature, to float in the pool, read a good book, to journal, spend time in a quiet church, to sit around the kitchen table with your family, to work in the yard, to set boundaries with your work schedule, to find a good spiritual book, to purge instead of buying more, or saying no so that your schedule isn’t always packed…What do you need? This is what will bring you back to your home….the heart and soul of who you are? In this home is where Jesus lives in you. It is where the Holy Spirit guides you.  Home will give you a new perspective on your life. It will help you see clearly what is most important to you and what you can release in your life. 

“We are just walking each other home”

This journey towards home is not meant to be a journey that we take alone. As you are searching to get back to your home base, who you are at your innermost being, you don't have to go alone. Imagine a group of people walking into a football stadium, they are all going in to watch the game, but not everyone is there for the same team. In fact, as you walk in together you see fans in their team's color. Now you may sit beside someone cheering on the other team, but you both want your team to win. You are both hoping for different outcomes. Think about the people in your life, how many people around you are headed in the same direction as you but hoping for a different outcome. Who do you want beside you on your journey? Who do you want guiding you home?

Imagine that there are three circles in front of you. There is a small circle surrounded by a larger circle and then a bigger circle around them both. Almost like a bullseye. That inner circle are the people who are closest to you. Maybe your spouse, your children, your immediate family or a close friend. There might only be a few people in your inner circle. These are the people who love you, who want the best for you and who will give you tough love when needed. This inner circle contains your biggest cheerleaders and those who help you find your way home even when you wander off your path. Who are the people in your inner circle? You get to decide who those few people are. These people are precious to you. You want to protect these people and keep them close. 

As you think about these people, Do you allow them to guide you on your walk home? Do you listen to them?

Now, you have a role to play for them as well. Your job is walk them home. To encourage them, to make time for them, to share your faith with them. These are the people who will help you step off the hamster wheel and discover what you truly need in your life. 

Now, let’s look at the next circle. It is bigger than your inner circle. This circle contains other family members or close friends. These are people you trust, people you spend time with, people you enjoy, people who inspire and motivate you. Who is in this circle for you? These people are also walking you home and in return you are walking them home. It is important to make sure that whoever you allow in this circle is helping you to move in the right direction. Just like a football game, you want to be walking beside people who want the same outcome as you. In this circle you want to surround yourself with people who share their faith with you, people you can have honest conversations with, people who accept you as you are, people who will help you get home to Heaven. Like your innermost circle, you get to decide who is in this circle. Who are the people who build you up, who make you a better person? You may have to let go of some friendships or push them to the outer circle. Are there people in your life who bring you down, who are always a struggle to be around, who leave you feeling empty, who lead you in the wrong direction…if so, release those relationships. It is ok, to let them go. Stop forcing them to be different. 

Finally, let’s look at this third circle…the biggest circle. These are people who are in your life for many reasons…maybe they are family, co -workers, friends in your neighborhood or community. These might be friends on FB or social media. These are people who come and go from your life, they don’t have the same impact on your life as the two smaller groups of people. The people in the third circle might or might not be part of your journey home, in fact they may lead you in the wrong direction if you aren’t careful. These are the people you try to impress and get “likes” from. These could be the people that you yearn to impress to get their approval. On the other hand, these people can add joy to your life. They can be fun to hang out with and have dinner with, but your conversations won’t be as intimate as those in your inner circle. 

“We are just walking each other home”

Where is your home? How is your faith life? Do you spend time strengthening your faith. Are you going to church on Sunday with a grateful heart ready to give thanks for all of your blessings. 

Think about the last time you went on a trip. You had to plan all of the details. You had to research plane tickets and check airlines for times and fares. You book accommodations that would have lots of amenities. You planned your days to see different places, you made reservations for meals or bought tickets for shows. Ahead of time you carefully packed and brought everything you needed for your journey. 

Are you giving this amount of detail to your spiritual journey?

What if you looked at your life in the same way…you are on a trip of a lifetime heading to Heaven. What do you need to plan to get there? Who do you want traveling with you. 

Here is the funny thing, when you go on a trip and even if you enjoy every minute of it and can’t wait to go back…there is nothing like getting back home. Home is where you find your innermost being. So you are on a journey home…home to who you are in your heart and soul which will lead you to your ultimate home…heaven. 

Let’s pray. 

Lord, help us to find you in the craziness of life. Help us to see your face above the distractions and noise. We ask that you give us the strength to release whatever holds us back from living the live you have designed for us. Let us seek your approval over the approval of others. Lord, please bless our families and those in our inner circles. Help us to love them like you would. We ask that you give us the strength to forgive others, but also ourselves for the times we have fallen short. Lord, you are always beside us on our journey, even when we stray. Help us to walk beside you so that in return “we can walk each other home.” 

In Jesus’ name we pray. 

Amen

Jennie is a Catholic speaker, Life Coach, Podcaster, Weekly Radio Show Host on Nashville Catholic Radio, and founder of Catholic Moms in the Middle. After 26 years of working in Catholic education, Jennie felt God calling her "to step out of the boat" to serve in a new way. In her new ministry as a Catholic Life Coach, she now equips and encourages middle-life moms to reconnect with who they are and their unique God-given purpose so they can MAGNIFY Christ in their corner of the world.