Dual Citizenship
“Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” ~ Philippians 3:19-21 (ESV).
As you know I lived the first 30 years of my earthly life in Germany. I grew up in a country with a rich history (yeah, I know some really dark one too, but which country doesn’t have dark parts in their history?). Anyway, I grew up in a divided country, which was reunited on October 3rd, 1990…
I am sorry to say that it didn’t mean much to me that Germany was reunited. For one thing, I was blessed to grow up in the Western part; the free part. We had great schools, I got a good education (my parents insisted on that). I was also blessed to grow up in a nurturing environment. One dark part though, growing up in the late 60’s to mid 80’s was that we, pretty much on a daily basis, had terrorist attacks. Either groups within (yeah Germany had terrorist cells – just don’t remember why they blew things up), the IRA, the Basque Separatist, and the Sicilian Mafia. But you know, you adjust to that. You just accept it…
Even though with all the challenges growing up, I love my country. And to be honest with you, my friends, I would go back in a heartbeat. I miss the European way of living. I miss the street side cafes, the Biergardens, the festivals…the shopping. The whole nine yards…And of course, I miss my family. I don’t have the chance to spoil my niece and nephew; I can’t hug my mom or sister when they are going through a hard time. Some days that makes me sad. I miss hopping on the train and be in a few hours in a different country like Italy, Spain or France.
Many times I have asked myself, why in the world God planted us here in the US, especially Arizona. I think for one thing, He brought us here to bring me back to a close relationship with Him. On the other hand, God wanted to make it clear to me, that no matter where I live, it is not home. We have our home in heaven and if we get to comfortable in the places we live and we love, we would forget all about heaven…
You see, no matter which nationality we have, which earthly citizenship we claim to be ours, we defiantly have a dual citizenship…One with the seal of our country and the other with the seal of God, who claimed us to be His citizen by the blood of Christ…
Do I miss living in Germany? Of course…Am I content where I live now? Certainly! Because I know it is by the hand of God.
Lord of Heaven and Earth. I thank you that You guide my life, no matter where I live here on earth. Lord, I want to be Your hands and feet; to encourage and to be a witness to Your grace and mercy for the rest of my days. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen.
***Originally posted 07.03.2006
- On death and dying
- Amazing Grace, in the key of me.
Bless you for sharing this Iris, I totally agree with you on this subject. We definately do have a dual citizenship.
Iris, that is a wonderful post. It’s so true about dual citizenship!
I must go to Germany(other than the airport!)! Scott raves about how beautiful it is there!
Oh Iris-
You brought tears to my eyes! What a wonderful attitutde you have about the circumstances in your life. I can imagine it would be easy to give into that sadness and homesickness. It is truly a testament to God’s work in your life that you can see his larger plan.
Blessings to you my friend-
Jennifer
What a wonderful comparison Iris. I think I could enjoy living anywhere as long as I’m surrounded by His creation. But, I certainly am looking forward to visiting my REAL home.
Blessings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Oh Iris, I just see your heart in this post. I have never considered a dual citizenship.. Cool. Have a blessed day. Post was inspiring. L%H, me.
Oh this certainly rings true in my life! I’ve struggled with this issue much over my life, being from different countries and not feeling like I fit anywhere. I should share with you a poem I wrote about citizenship. It expresses this very idea, that we are citizens of heaven not of earth.
Way to put things in perspective! It would make someone analyze their life in regards to where they live… especially for someone like you – not in their homeland. =)
So tell me is that why you don’t like shopping here? (I am teasing you) Iris, this was real interesting to read. I could not agree with you more, I am fortunate the Lord did not move me to a different country just completely across the US =)
Thanks for sharing that insight into your life…..
Blessings
I did enjoy reading more about you, I agree God bought you to where you are today for a reason, that’s the great thing about God, everything serves a purpose and we can grow closer to Him and learn from our experiences. btw thanks for making me blog of the week in your sidebar 🙂