keyless.

I just bought this keychain at church recently so we can have a constant reminder of our Ruta 3:16 community. However, I just realized that as we travel to California in a few days, we will not actually have any keys to put on it.

We will turn in our current house keys on Monday, give over the last set of car keys on Sunday, we've turned in our office keys, and we will get the keys to our new house when we arrive on Monday night. So, for those few hours, we will be without any keys.

And that's a really weird feeling...realizing you don't own any keys anymore.

I mean, keys are small and not valuable in themselves, but they represent something bigger and more valuable. They are a tangible symbol that you own something; they represent stability; they represent not just a house but a home.

Not having keys kinda makes me feel like a floater because it reminds me that we really don't have any possessions anymore, except for the 6 suitcases we are carrying, the orange juicer and winter clothes that i already left at kelly's house, and the old picture albums and such at my parents' house.

And while that's really weird to realize you don't really own anything anymore, it's also extremely freeing. It reminds me that as 1 Peter says, we really are "aliens and strangers" in the world....or as other versions say, "temporary residents and foreigners" or "sojourners and exiles". We're just passing through anyway, on our way to a much better home. I think that's why neither the US or El Salvador or anywhere else will truly feel like "home" if you really think about it.

I also think that this is a great concept to keep in mind as we seek to build relationships with immigrants in the US. We can offer them the comfort of knowing that we hope for a future home where everyone will feel more than welcome and cozy and like they belong. I like that thought a lot and comforts me even when I see an empty keyring.