A Place to Call Home
by: Bianca Schaefer
With mixed emotions, I finally applied for my Canadian Citizenship. It’s not that I don’t want to be a Canadian after having lived most of my life here. It’s just that acquiring my Canadian Citizenship, means forfeiting my German one. Because Germany does not allow dual citizenship.
My family immigrated to Canada when I was 11 months old. My parents did their best to live out their culture and traditions at home. Meaning that I grew up speaking both German and English. I ate the rye bread with liverwurst sandwiches my mom lovingly put in my lunchbox. I wore the clothes my grandmother sewed and shipped over from Germany.
Most of my childhood was happy. But at times I was bullied, teased, and made fun of because of my heritage. Growing up, I identified with being German because that’s what I felt like—a German.
In my early 20’s, I moved to Germany and lived there for 10 years. To my surprise, it wasn’t until I lived in Germany that I realized how Canadian I actually was! I had no idea that when I spoke German, people would hear my North American accent. I had no idea how much I would cheer for a Canadian Hockey Team, even when they played against Germany. I had no idea how emotional I would get hearing ‘Oh Canada’ while watching the Olympics abroad.
Then moving back to Canada had me questioning my identity. Was I Canadian or was I German? I loved moving back ‘home’ yet felt a sense of loss for the other ‘home’ I longed for. I missed the German traditions I had become accustomed to. I missed my friends, the food, and even some of the ‘rules’ or ways of doing things ‘efficiently’. (I know fellow Germans will get that). But honestly, moving back to Canada had me feeling divided. I didn’t feel German. I didn’t feel Canadian. I knew I was a bit of both, yet felt like I was neither.
Of course, Canada, makes it easy to carry on traditions from our countries of origin. We are a nation founded on immigrants coming to this country. And yet – turn on the television, or read the news, and right now it seems like we are a country divided. It’s difficult to see past all the opinions and divisiveness and see we are still one nation, one country, and still all God’s people.
As I embark on becoming a Canadian citizen, I am reminded of my true identity, my true citizenship, and my true home—the home I have in Heaven.
As an adopted daughter of God, I can take comfort in knowing who I am and where I belong. I look forward to all of the different people I will meet in Heaven who are my sisters and brothers in Christ, from every corner of the world. We are different in culture, language, and traditions, but we are the same in that we all bear the image of God who created us. (Genesis 1:27). God loves us too much to let our differences be cause for division. When we become a believer, we are untied in Christ as family and as friends.
I take comfort in believing Jesus’s words, “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” John 14:2 NLT
If you’ve ever felt the weight of not knowing who you are or where you fit in, I pray you’ll take comfort in knowing your true citizenship. You, my dear, are deeply loved and there’s a place – a home – where you belong.
As I await my citizenship ceremony, I can’t help but anticipate the celebration that awaits when I see God the Father. Just as the passport officer asks to see my passport at the border, I imagine God asking me for mine.
I’ll show my passport stamped with Jesus’s blood, and when the Father looks at me, He’ll say, “Welcome Home.”
Bianca Schaefer is a Writer, Certified Life, and Business Coach, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer who inspires a global community through nourishing their body, mind, and spirit with delicious foods, an active lifestyle, and a mindset that believes anything is possible. Her mission is to help others realize their greatest potential and discover God’s love. Her articles and blogs have been featured in The Local Biz Magazine in the Greater Toronto Area and she is putting the finishing touches on her first book, which intersects physical and spiritual health. She lives with her husband, Phil in Toronto and enjoys being a step-mom to her two adult daughters, Andrea and Nicole.
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