I’ve been trying for days to finish up some thoughts on the Emergent Church. For some reason, they just are not coming together as I had planned. A few minutes ago I sat down at my computer to try to write more, and I had an urge to write about something that has been in my mind a lot lately — our eternal home. As I grow older, it’s something that I long for more and more. And the thought of it brings such hope and peace, and the knowledge that I shall someday “get in” gives me strength to fight my little battles here on earth. My apologies to those of you who were expecting to read about the EC … hopefully they will come soon. For now …
Sometimes the weight of the world seems so strong upon me…
…and I want to go home.
Sometimes the allurement of the culture surrounds me…
…and I want to go home.
Sometimes the ache of missing people overwhelms me …
…and I want to go home.
What a wonderful thought that this world is not my home. As promising, and exciting, and beautiful as it can be, this is not a place of permanency. The pain, the sorrow, the sickness, the sin will all pass on, and we will be ushered into our true home. What a joy it will be to dwell in harmony with everyone, to never fear, to never worry, to never miss. To see God face to face and never die.
As I traveled last fall, I often wished to stay longer in certain places that I traveled through. The sights of Seattle, Boston, New York, Providence all called to me to stay, to inquire, to explore. But ultimately, I was to return home. My purpose was not to stay in any one of those places for long, but to merely pass through. I knew that at some point, I was going to go home. No matter how appealing a town, no matter how picturesque the countryside, no matter how great the attraction, I longed for home.
Up until last year, I never had such longings for my eternal Home. I was never excited about it, because I knew so little about it. But as I study, and learn, and hear about my Home, I long more and more to be there. All the beauty of this world, multiplied beyond what my finite mind can imagine, with all the hurt, the misunderstandings, petty annoyances and deep scars taken away. If there is beauty to be found in this world, what more exquisite things will be discovered in the next?
Sometimes I get an ache in my heart, I long for something I can’t quite wrap my mind around, something that isn’t fulfilled by anything around me, and I long to go Home. I’m reminded that my life here is temporary. My tendency is to long for the Home country so much that I forget that there is a reason for my existence in this lifetime. Now. I know that my Lord desires the best for me, and right now that means doing His will, serving Him, loving others. Later, it will mean eternal, permanent residence with Him in glory. And I cannot wait. I’m filled with joy … with hope for the future … with peace.
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country…But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”
At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendors we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.
