Rootlessness

Longing for Home

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden….

Genesis 2:18

The longing for a place we can call home began after God created the world and called it very good. He fashioned a man and a woman and placed them in a garden named Eden. The dynamics of their world changed dramatically as a result of the choices they made. They lost their dwelling place, and rootlessness entered creation. They and their ancestors would forever struggle to find their place in a broken world. 

Working on discovering my own family heritage uncovered stories of Atlantic Ocean crossings, wagon trains and swollen creeks braved by ancestral families looking for a home—and the churches they planted once they “arrived.” Brothers parted ways and one eventually found his way South to Texas. His descendant, my father, migrated to East Texas to harvest the abundant Pine Trees. 

My parents finally sold our one-and-only family home shortly after I married. What a privilege to have such solid roots! When my own children were young, we lived in multiple cities and homes—which probably felt like rootlessness to them. In reflection, each community and neighborhood influenced our little family in a specific way through our church homes and community experiences. God used each location to enrich our lives and grow our dependence upon Him. 

The current worldwide epidemic of cultural upheaval and rootlessness makes the idea of the place God has provided for me today an important issue. What a joy to know that just as God watched over Adam and Eve after leaving their original home, He has watched over me. And, He will continue to do so for each of us as long as we call Earth home.

Linda Les