Long Distance Family Has Me Thinking – James 1:5-8

Long distance family is one of my biggest difficulties. I’ve always had this ache in my heart knowing that my friends growing up could just get in the car or take a three hour flight to go see their grandparents for the weekend while I had to take a very expensive, internationally 24+ hour journey to make that happen. Sometimes I get to see them twice a year and sometimes I see them once.
I wish I could spend more time with my aging grandparents but it’s difficult figuring out how much time I have off and the expenses.
I try to stay connected via FaceTime, WhatsApp, & Facebook, but it’s just not the same.
Not to mention, the less time I spend in India, the less I retain our language.
My parents sacrificed a lot to give my brother and I the life that we have
and I don’t think I’ll ever truly realize how hard that was for them.
As hubby and I think about what life will look like with kids (down the road), I’m not sure what “planting roots” even means as an immigrant and as a bicultural couple.
Certainly not sure what we will do when kids enter the picture.
I’m not sure if where our parents live will be a factor.
I’m not sure that I’d like my children to have the same distance with their grandparents that I had.
I like to keep it real on here so I’ll be honest that I don’t have an answer to any of those questions right now, and maybe you’re struggling with the same.
But I know that wherever God wants us to be, he will make it clear.
He will helps us get through long distance family relationships.
He always has and he always will.
You just have to seek him.
Of that I am sure.
_____________________
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God,
who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:5-8 🇮🇳
Hey — I wrote a book about all of this.
Living Open-Handed is the devotional I wrote during a season when I really needed to hear these words myself. If you're in a place where you need to be encouraged by scripture and softened by grace, it might be for you too.
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