Lessons in Place

Viola in Front of my Parents' Farmhouse

Home!  I can't believe we're back in Ohio.  There is something satisfyingly haunting about this place.  I can resonate with Karin of Over the Rhine singing in her smoky, lingering voice, "I know Ohio...like the back of my hand."  In my mind, there is an internal conflict concerning being so close to places and people I'm familiar with.  I remember the excitement of moving to Louisville, a place where I could go away from it all, and rediscover the Lord and myself.  There, I could get a fresh start, I thought.  But it was there that I learned both the importance and unimportance of place.  

I learned from the Lord, that no matter where I am, He is also.  Simple enough on the surface, but I learned that moving away physically did not move me away from my past figuratively, but that God gave me the past I have to mold me for His glory.  I also learned there is little value in reinventing myself if my transformation is not focused on inward transformation foremost, specifically gospel transformation.  In these things, physical place is of little importance.

However, in Louisville, I encountered many Louisvillians who are proud of the physical place they're from.  They found value in their roots and loved being integrated into the rich culture that described their home city.  I remember people being excited when I told them I grew up on a beef farm and how I found that perplexing!  I didn't know that was cool.  Through fellowship with other women, I engaged in many conversations about how our families celebrated holidays, how our parents disciplined us, and the depth of our relationships with our siblings.  Through these things, I felt the Lord welling up in my heart a deeper love for my hometown, my state, my family, and my childhood friends.  I'm so glad the Lord started a work in me in these areas to which I'd been numb because He was preparing me to come back.

I'm pretty sure Ohio's not "cool" in the eyes of many Americans.  When we told some we were moving back here instead of to Seattle, I gathered that more than a few thought it was a cop out to be closer to free babysitting.  But, no, my friends.  We are back because we were led back...to the place we know like the back of our hands.