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ROOTED IN CHRIST By Traci McCombs
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“Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.” (Colossians 2:7-9)
Uprooted as an active duty military spouse. As an active duty military spouse, I’m always anticipating our family’s next move. For the past sixteen years my husband has been called to serve the United States Army at locations around the world. Since our marriage in 2010, we have packed and moved our household goods five times. Once across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, thrice stateside, and once across the Atlantic Ocean to Germany. That may seem like a lot, but this is typical for a family with an Active Duty Service Member. When Adam comes home with news of a new assignment, I take a deep breath. A mixture of excitement and anxiety rush over me as I wonder: Will he deploy as soon as we move? Will we like our new home? Will we find a community of believers? Will there be a church close by that is aligned with our beliefs? Being deeply rooted when you’re constantly uprooted is a challenge. Especially when you must pack up your life and leave the place you call home, over and over again. Challenges when uprooted. There are different challenges I face each time we move, such as isolation, job hunting, building networks, unpacking, feeling homesick, adjusting to new shops, and finding a good
community. I’ve chosen to focus on the three challenges that have been hardest for me: isolation, being homesick, and finding community. Isolation. Two months after Adam and I got married in Hawaii, he deployed to Afghanistan for a yearlong combat assignment. I stayed in Hawaii, and although I was living in paradise, I felt so alone. Not only was my husband missing, my friends were an ocean away. Homesick. Making a house a home isn’t easy. I often get frustrated by the different floorplans that don’t fit our furniture. At night I get woken up by new and unfamiliar sounds. And trying to make sure the kids’ rooms are comfortable in each new house takes time and energy. All these little things add up to homesickness.
