Longing For HOME

The past couple of weeks, life in my shared apartment have me longing more and more for a place where I can really feel "at home", where I don't feel like I'm always in someone else's space. There's nothing wrong with wanting a place of my own, but as I deal with the tension between what I have and what I long for, I'm contemplating a couple of things:

• Although I can make a house or apartment or room welcoming and can call it "home", there is really no place on earth that will last or that even really belongs to me, because my real home is not here -- it's in heaven. And all that I have been given here is not for me to hold onto tightly, but to take care of for as long as God allows.

• No matter where I make my "home", there will always be things that are not exactly the way I want them, or unwelcome situations that I will have to deal with - that's just life here on earth. And I need to be careful that I do not let my desire for a place of my own turn me into a self-centered and inconsiderate person.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,

but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also 

for the interests of others. ~ Philippians 2:3-4

In a devotional I read the other day, I was reminded that there should always be a tension within me -- a gratitude and a willingness to make the most of what God has given me here, but a deep and intense longing at the same time for the far-surpassing treasure that He has stored up for me in heaven. And the most important part of longing for heaven is not the mansion that He is preparing for me, but the opportunity to be in the presence of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"In My Father’s house are many mansions;if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again and receive you to Myself;

that where I am, there you may be also." ~ John 14:2-3

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body

that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working

by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. ~ Philippians 3:20-21

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,

reserved in heaven for you ~ 1 Peter 1:3-4

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens

and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. ~ 2 Peter 3:13

It's been said that what makes a house a home is the presence of loved ones and the comfort of knowing that it is a place where you are loved, safe and cared for. And ultimately, that is why heaven is truly "home" for me - because that is where my Father is and where I will ALWAYS be loved, safe and cared for in a way that can never be truly realized on earth.

Today is April 16th and I just heard what happened yesterday in Boston, Massachusetts. I hardly ever watch or listen to the news, because it always seems to be reporting something bad or terrible that has happened. I did read a couple of articles about it, and something struck me very profoundly that I feel compelled to share with you...

One witness said that the scene of the bombing was like something you see in a war zone, not on the streets of America. And right next to this article was the announcement of 5 people having been killed by a car bomb in one of the countries of the Middle East. What happened in Boston is indeed a tragedy, a horrific act of violence that none of us would ever wish to see or hear about, but the reality is that people all over our world live in the midst of that kind of terror and death and fear every single day. There are reports of deaths, violence and tragedy on the news every day from places where that is life for the citizens there and it seems like we hardly even notice it sometimes, but when it happens on our own turf, it's announced almost like the end of the world.

Please don't misunderstand me -- I'm NOT trying to downplay the horror of what happened, but just to keep it in perspective. *Christians in North America meet every Sunday in our beautiful churches to sing and pray and hear God's Word preached, but there are millions of believers all over the world who have to meet in secret because they could be tortured, arrested, imprisoned and even killed for simply meeting together. *People protest over the price of gas and it is sometimes challenging to deal with, but there are people living in refugee camps on one side of the border in a war-torn country who cannot cross even to see a loved one on the other side.

It's a matter of perspective, and it seems to me that the only way to make sense of these tragedies and the chaos that fills our world is to remember that this is not the ultimate goal. YES, by all means, let's try to make our streets safe for people and protect them as much as possible, but let us remember that this is not the end, this is not the final goal.

May this situation serve as a reminder of how privileged we are to live in a country where these things don't happen every day. May it also remind us to pray for and be compassionate towards those who face this kind of reality daily.

I watched a movie the other day and the lyrics to one of the songs really struck a chord with me -- it made me remember and feel again the deep, intense longing for my "real home" in heaven. Matthew West has written a song called "The Reason For The World," and here are the lyrics:

There are no words in times like these when tears don't hide the tragedies,

And all you want is a reason for the world.

No comfort in the greeting card, 'cause God is good but life's still hard

And your heart just wants a reason for the world.

For God so loved your broken heart He sent His Son to where you are

And He died to give a reason for the world.

So lift your sorrows to the One whose plan for you has just begun,

And rest here in the hands that hold the world...

Just keep your eyes on heaven and know that you are not alone...

No ear has heard, no eye has seen, not even in your wildest dreams

A beauty that awaits beyond this world...

Maybe the reason for the pain is so that we would pray for strength.

And maybe the reason for the strength is so that we would not lose hope.

And maybe the reason for all hope is so that we could face the world,

And the reason for the world is to make us long for home.

Lord Jesus, please remind me today to keep my eyes fixed on You and to find my security and strength and happiness in You alone. May I long more and more every moment for the day when I will see you face to face and know that I am truly "home."

Then I, John, saw the holy city...coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,

and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;

there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

~ Revelation 21:1-4

TRAVELLIN' LIGHT

The Talleys sing a song called "Travellin' Light" and the words of the chorus go like this:

I'm travellin' light on this journey I'm on,

Don't need any baggage, 'cause I'm goin' home.

The weight of this world will only slow me down;

I'm walkin' on by faith and not by sight, and I'm travellin' light!

Due to the increasingly rigid restrictions for baggage on airline flights, I am working hard to pack light for my trip to Ukraine (even though I am going for 2 years). The funny thing is, now that I have to, I am realizing how much I really can do without -- and that frees me up from the stress of trying to fit everything in!

The gospel song is talking about our journey to our real home -- heaven -- and so it's really not about physical baggage. So as I was thinking about this, I recalled the words of the apostle Paul in Colossians 3:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God…

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:

sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry...

You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self,

which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator…

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly

as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

These are some instructions for what kind of "baggage" to get rid of and what to replace it with. And though this is considerably more difficult than simply narrowing down my selection of clothing, it is significantly more important in an eternal perspective.

When we do not "put off" the things of our earthly nature, it creates hurt, disappointment and trouble and it weighs us down with stress, unhappiness and sin. But when we do choose to clothe ourselves with the qualities God desires to see in us, it frees us up to live peaceably with one another and usually we are happier too.

I am thankful that we are "being renewed in the image of [our] Creator," but I am not there yet. By the end of August, my suitcases will be packed for my life overseas, but the process of becoming more like Christ in my thoughts, attitudes, words and actions will continue until the day I go to my real home.

Until then, I will practice "travelling light."