My Place

It has been over six months since my return from Jerusalem. Since then I have struggled to write this blog post to bring my Journey to the Holy Land to an end. But now, with tears in my eyes, I write of my final moments in this sacred place. 

On the  18th of April my class took our last final of the semester. The following Monday and Tuesday were spent on field trips dedicated to the last week of Jesus' life. During this last week I struggled to come to terms with the fact that I was leaving the place that I had come to call home. It wasn't until my teacher told my class that it was our time to return home, that I felt the spirit move upon me in confirmation that my journey here was over and there was work for me to do back in my real home.

The morning of the 23rd I awoke and ate my last breakfast at the center. I left the center to explore the city for the last time. I journeyed with my friends to the Dome of the Rock and explored the temple mount for the last time.  For the last time, I walked through the streets of Jerusalem and said goodbye to spirit I felt there. 

I spent my remaining time before dinner talking pictures of the center. I walked the grounds and wished I had done so more during my time there. After dinner everyone was going to meet outside and take pictures until we departed. I finished my dinner quickly and went outside by myself. I sat along one of the arches of the center and looked out. I watched as the sun set and others began to come outside, unaware of me sitting above them. And there, I realized was my place. My place at the center. My sacred space.

             "I found my place at the center tonight. I thought it was the bomb shelter or the couch on the fifth or sixth floor or even the corner in the well. No. It is outside with the view of my city, the breeze on my cheek. In the open, where I can see all that God has sent me.

             I might be sad I didn’t find it until now, but I am filled with peace. Because, through all the heartache and feeling out of place, I finally found it."

If there is anything I learned while in Jerusalem, it is that we create our own sacred space. It doesn't matter what happened at a location or what we think happened. What matters is the spirit we create and fill it with. After we have given it value, it is sacred to us. And that is what I found on my last night in the Holy Land. I found a place that I was able to feel peace in the midst of despair and uncertainty.

It is called the Holy Land because that is where Christ walked. That is not why I have come to know it as the Holy Land. It is holy to me because I made it that way. I was able to come to know my God and His plan for me more fully and be overwhelmed by His spirit. There isn't something magical about it that makes it automatically sacred. But I have made it sacred to me through my experiences.

This was my last night in the Holy Land.  I can think of no better words to sum up my feelings than the words of one of my favorite songs: 

             The hardest thing I've ever loved to do

             Was getting on this plane and coming home to you

             In a million ways, completely torn apart

             As a land so far away still holds my heart