returning from space

So, here's something on my mind lately. Reverse culture shock. Or better yet...Re-Entry. I'm reading this book that my mission's pastor recommended to me, and that's what it's called...Re-Entry. Once I had been in the states for a while, I realized that I couldn't call it reverse culture shock anymore. I wasn’t really “shocked” about things, but I knew I was going through something. But I couldn’t seem to explain it to anyone. If you’ve ever gone on the mission field (short-term or long), you might know what I’m talking about.

The book calls this Re-Entry. It relates it to an astronaut going into space, and then returning to the Earth. One astronaut, who was in space for months, came back and his body couldn’t get used to the gravity again, and he ended up being paralyzed. The author said that returning from missions is similar to an astronaut returning from space . . . every part of you just has to get used to things again. And no matter how long it’s been, once you’ve gone, you’ll never be the same again.

When I read this, it really helped me to be able to take a deep breath. One of my first thoughts was, “I’m normal!” It’s such a good feeling to be re-assured that you’re not going through something that you shouldn’t be going through. I was starting to think that there was something wrong with me. Especially when no one around me could relate to me. So yes, I may feel like an astronaut at times, but at least I’m normal, right?