Being away from home can be disorienting. The familiar is suspended for the unknown.

Being at home in the deep places of my heart when traveling happens when I return to the message of belovedness.

New settings may trigger old anxieties.

Being away from home can make me feel like a lost stranger in a new city.

When I return to the voice of love, I see the new place as a gift, one not to fear or resist.

The voice of love helps me to see my own brokenness and lead out of vulnerability and trust.

The voice of self-rejection is self-critical, making many demands of the self and of others that can’t really be met.

An old pain resurfaced this past week that made me get on my knees and wonder what I’d do. It was a few loving conversations where I heard the voice of love calling me back home.

Beloved friendships have the power to point us back to our original identity: belovedness. I don’t find my deep identity in my work, roles, music, gender, or ethnicity. I find it in the voice of love.

I can only long for this home or belovedness because I have been there before. I can only return because I’ve once claimed it for myself.

And when I do return, I am blessed as a child of God. My gender, ethnicity, and gifts now make sense.