I was talking with a friend the other day about living the “born again” life, but mostly about what it meant to be born again in Christ and the level of commitment it requires. She then mentioned something that rang out to me. She started talking about the path of life being a winding one with unforeseen twists and obstacles. “In essence, the path is wayward,” I quietly thought to myself. Then, I was listening to Mumford and Sons this morning as they’re a band I love and I started with the first song on the album Sigh No More. They got to the refrain and I burst into tears. Being born again made sense in a way it has never before.

“Love, it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you; it will set you free. Be more like the man you were made to be. There is a design, an alignment, a cry of my heart to see the beauty of love as it was made to be.” — “Sigh No More” by Mumford and Sons

This is the love of the heart that has been born again. It is one full of love that is pure and only from God. It is a love that roots us wholly in God. This is the love that replaces a heart and a life of pride and selfishness. This is the way God always intended us to be. What is scary is that it requires your whole life, but if you listen, there is nothing more our hearts want. There is that still voice deep within crying for freedom from the baser affections of this world so it may love and be loved uninhibited, just the way in which it was designed. It was made to love a God who would in kind allow it to fully love others.

“And a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” — Matthew 8:19–20

The mention of the path being winding reminded me why I named this blog and nicknamed myself The Wayward Journeyer, because I am simply a sojourner in this life and the path is already meandering and my imperfections lead me often in an even more wayward route. Well, on this path, I have come to the place that dictates I move back to Virginia; I am to move back home. I found a job, but it is not in the state, let alone the locale, that I had expected. And so, this Wayward Journeyer continues down the road, one step at a time. However, I take solace in Jesus’ words above. I do not have a home here, therefore location is trivial compared to my calling.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” — Galatians 2:20–21

To say that I do not have fears and reservations would be an immense lie, one which I cannot even fathom peddling upon you, my faithful readers. While I will have my family nearby, I still have to pick up and start life anew. Frankly, my heart aches not to have to do so, but new starts are merely a reality of this world. The thought of having to get familiar with a new residence, find a church and establish a completely new social routine are indeed imposing. God is once again calling me to become uncomfortable and everything within this heart cries out for comfort and stability. However, this is the life of the born again: to follow in the direction that God has set forth, trusting that He is sovereign and good. I must now put one foot in front of the other and allow God to be my stability. I must acknowledge God to be God as He says He is in the Word.

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.” — Philippians 1:21–26

The born again are not of flesh and blood, but immortal. Therefore, the born again are not concerned with the preoccupations of this world such as comfort and familiarity. What is most important in this new life, the born again life, is submitting itself to God so that the Church, the Christ followers around, may also benefit from God working in and through it. It’s a life that lives for God’s purposes, not its own, which often involve the spiritual well-being of others. Therefore, I will go, but I will leave nothing behind because those that are meant to continue down the road with me God will allow to do so and those that don’t will also continue to be taken care of by God. So, friends, let’s live born again together.