We Don’t Belong Here, But We Have to Live Here
On Living as a Heavenly Soul in an Earthly World
“We don’t belong here, but we have to live here” - Fr. Mike Schmitz
I heard this in one of Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homilies, and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. It’s become my song.
I see you. The one who never quite feels at home anywhere.
Maybe you’re the quiet one at the party, the deep soul in a loud world. The one who walks through conversations like a foreigner in a strange land, wondering why it always feels like you’re on the outside looking in.
I get that.
Maybe you’ve spent your whole life trying to find your place, and you’re starting to wonder if you even have one. Maybe the things everyone else seems to '“get” just leave you empty. Maybe you feel like you missed some invisible memo about how to be a person in this world.
But dear brother or sister, take heart:
You weren't made for this world anyway. You were made for heaven. You were made to be with Jesus.
And maybe, just maybe, that ache you carry, that feeling of being out of place, is the very proof of it.
Our home is not here. But here is where we must walk in our desert.
As St Therese of Lisieux put it: “The world’s thy ship and not thy home.”
This life, for all its mess and mystery, is a pilgrimage with a destination far better than anything this world could offer. Maybe the sense of not belonging isn’t something to hide or be ashamed of; maybe it’s a signpost, a holy homesickness that points to the One who is in fact our home.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (John 2:15-17).
Sometimes we feel misunderstood, lost, or like something is missing. That’s not a flaw in you, it’s your soul reaching out for the One who made you. It’s your heart whispering, “There must be more than this,” and Heaven answering, “Yes, child. There is.”
For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven. (Hebrews 13:14).
And in the meantime, while we’re still here, Jesus doesn’t wait for us at the end of the road. He walks it with us.
If you feel lonely, let this be your invitation: Be friends with Jesus.
He’s already called you His friend:
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:14-17).
You don’t have to figure everything out, you don’t have to be perfect, and you certainly don’t have to earn His nearness. He wants to be close to you. And He’s not just waiting in heaven for you to arrive, He’s with you now, even in the awkwardness, the confusion, the days you cry in the car or laugh when no one else does.
You may feel lost, but remember: we are His sheep. We do tend to wander. :)
But our Shepherd is faithful. If you believe in your heart that He loves you, He will come and find you. Every time.
You weren’t made to navigate this world alone, you were made to walk through it with Jesus.
So walk with Him. Lean on Him. Talk to Him like a friend. Bring Him your weary, your heartache, your wandering, and know that the journey through this world, with Him, is well worth it.
Great reminder Lily! Fantastic post
Thank you for this beautiful piece. I felt the peace of God in it.
Yes, we are in the world, but not of it.