Citizenship

My husband and I took a big leap out of our comfort zone and traveled to Spain last year. We knew a few people in the tour group but not all.  We were given a list of all the items we needed to go on the trip and, of course, one of those items was our passports. Not only did we need to make sure we had at least 6 months left on the expiration dates but we were also told to take a picture of them with our phones and carry a paper copy as well.  We were warned about pickpockets and told to lock up our passports in our room safes when we checked into our hotels.  I was a little stressed about the whole process.

We flew out of Chicago and I was glad we were with a group that knew what they were doing.  It can get somewhat confusing with all the different gates we had to go through, how many times we had to take off our shoes and coats and then put them back on!  It was even harder getting back into the USA than getting out.

We stayed two nights in Barcelona and one night in Valencia.  We put our passports in the safes and made sure we took them out before we left to travel to the next city. We were getting ready to head to Madrid and most of us were on the bus and ready to go.  The woman that helped organize the tour came on the bus and told us that one couple with us couldn't find their passports and were still looking for them.  They figured hotel staff had stolen them.  That meant they would have to go to the US Embassy in Madrid to see if they could get replacements.  A day or two later we found out their passports weren't stolen but packed away in one of their bags!  

We had a memorable trip and made it home without ever getting our pockets picked or losing our passports, which I thank God for watching out for us.  It would have been bad to be stranded in a foreign country and not be able to get home just because I didn't have the correct paperwork.

I got to thinking about my citizenship here in the USA and realized that I have another citizenship because of my faith in Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 2:19 states it clearly, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His house."  Phillipians 3:20 says our citizenship is in heaven.  Pickpockets can't steal it and I can't put it in the wrong suitcase. I don't have to keep a paper copy or a picture on my phone.  I don't stress about it because God knows who I am and where I belong.  Not only am I citizen of heaven, I belong to God's household.  My citizenship is a gift and I will be forever a child of God.