Involved (Again)
Although it may seem like it will never happen, months later, often up to a calendar year, you notice that you feel more and more at home. Once more you belong, and you are again fully involved in your passport culture.
Part 1: The Longest Reentry
After entering for several years the Israelites reached the point where they were again involved in their passport country. At the beginning of the last chapter we found that God was giving the land to them, and all they had to do was go in and possess it (Joshua 1).
Near the end of the book of Joshua, we find that the giving and possessing are in the past.
Part 2: Reentry Today
Just as God eventually brought the Israelites back to their passport country and fulfilled all his promises to them, so he will do for you. By the time you are fully involved again, you will have taken possession of what God has given you. Reentry is an opportunity to trust God, an opportunity for spiritual growth. As you see how he has worked in your life and is working in it during reentry, your faith will increase. When you are fully involved in your culture again you are really home. You have become a part of the culture and again know where you fit, and you feel at ease with yourself where you are.
If you want to further reflect on what has happened to you, you may want to work through Coming “Home”: The Reentry Transition which leads you to contemplate on how your experience as an expatriate fits in with the rest of your life story. It is available on www.missionarycare.com.
Time Orientation
Finally you are living in the present with good memories from the past and hopes for the future, but you are living in the “now.” You can think about yesterday and tomorrow, but you are living today to its fullest.
Social Characteristics
Finally you know your place socially and feel like you belong and are part of a group. You know where you “fit” in that group, and so do others. You have friends who confide in you and you in them. They are committed to you and you to them.
Spiritual Characteristics
Finally you can worship without distraction because the worship style brings you to God, the music glorifies God and leads you to him, the preaching and teaching edifies your spirit, the service is just the right length, and you can share freely in smaller groups.
Psychological Characteristics
Finally you feel psychologically “comfortable” and “at home.” Within your group you feel affirmed, secure, and safe—real intimacy. You move through familiar places where you see familiar faces and interact with familiar graces. Your world is once more a place with few surprises and a place where you can automatically interact with it and within it.
Finally! You are home!