Last week, for those of you whose students are in school, was Fall Break. For many, fall break is a break from the routine and rhythm of life. Whether you went to the beach, the mountains, camping, on a mission trip, or simply had a staycation, I hope you found some relief from the monotony of life.
Fall breaks look different these days for Laurie and me. Our family schedule doesn’t seem to work out so that everyone has the same Fall Break. Two sons in college and one working full time have created a little change in the Vinson household. These days Laurie and I find ourselves mostly taking trips by ourselves.
Unfortunately, for Laurie, this Fall Break didn’t include a bucket list vacation. One day we will make the trip she has always wanted to take to Scotland to visit her ancestry. Over the summer, I had mentioned to her my desire to return to the home where I grew up. Instead of a trip to Scotland, she traveled with me to a small rural North Carolina town. My desire was twofold: I hadn’t been back in many years, and I wanted to see some of my relatives who live around the area.
Returning home is a nostalgic experience. As we drove into town, the memories immediately came flooding back. Memories are complex to process because they are often mixed. Some memories brought a smile and laughter; others brought loss and sadness. Things I have not thought about in years I could recall like they happened yesterday. We drove down the streets where I used to ride my yellow Huffy bike as a child. We stopped by the house where I grew up. We passed by the schools I attended. We went to the park where I played sports as a child. We went down Main Street where I spent many weekends at the theatre watching movies with my friends. We turned right off Main Street, and I saw the vacant lot where my old church building once stood. The church where I trusted Christ and was baptized.
The drive was quiet as Laurie gave me the space and time to take it all in. As we were heading out of town, she leaned over to me and broke the silence by asking a question: “So, how are you feeling?” It took me a minute to gather my thoughts. Since I grew up in a small, country town, my thoughts went to Dylan Scott’s country song, This Town Has Been Too Good To Us. I resonate with the chorus of this song….
Yeah, we sure painted it up
Tore down them old two-lane roads
We either stole every sign or left 'em in bullet holes
It wasn't nowhere as bad as we all said that it was
Yeah, looking back at it now, this town's been too good to us
After some time of silent reflection, I was able to respond to Laurie’s curious question. Driving down Highway 301, I said to her, “Babe, I feel grateful. I just don’t ever want to forget where I came from.”
Returning home for me was a good reminder that the people, places, and things in my hometown have shaped me. The past doesn’t determine your future, but it does shape it. And by God’s grace and goodness, He found me in that small town.
I have always appreciated how Paul never forgets where he came from. On three different occasions in the book of Acts, Luke reminds us of Paul’s story. We read about his conversion in Acts 9. Further along in the book, we read about Paul’s defense before the Jews in Acts 22, where he tells his story. Then again in Acts 26, when Paul gives his defense before Agrippa, who was the Roman-appointed Jewish King. Paul often returns home to the people, places, and things that God used to change him.
This practice of never forgetting where he came from provided Paul the gift of awareness and admission. The awareness to see it. The admission to admit it. There is a progression of humility in Paul’s letters about himself that only returning home to his story can accomplish. Notice Paul’s progression:
- I Corinthians 15:9 He called himself "the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church."
- Ephesians 3:8: He described himself as "less than the least of all the saints."
- 1 Timothy 1:15: He reached his deepest personal confession as the "chief of sinners".
As Paul consistently returned home to God in his faith, the more accurately he saw himself. The closer we get to God, the more we understand His character, thus realizing more and more how good He has been to us. This makes us even more grateful for His grace. Our gratefulness increases because we realize increasingly more that His love and grace are even bigger and better than we first imagined.
This Fall Break was a good reminder for me to follow Paul’s example and never forget where I came from. Returning home doesn’t only involve our physical hometown but something much more meaningful: our spiritual home. May we never forget where we came from! There is a gift in returning home. The gift is that you walk away feeling grateful for how good God has been to you. May our hearts be grateful today, knowing we have a forever home with God. That’s something to never forget!