Looking Forward to Home - The Crosswalk Devotional - August 8
Looking Forward to Home
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” - Hebrews 13:14
When we think of home, what do we think of? A particular house, a city, an area of the country, or the world? Some might quote the popular saying, “Home is where your heart is.”
Growing up, my family moved around a lot, so I decided as a teenager that when I grew up and became an adult, I would reside in one place for the rest of my life and never move again. That was my plan.
But God had different plans and knew my moving from place to place growing up was preparing me for married life, one where He has kept us on the move, relocating over 30 times and still counting, moving from East to West, South to North, from one end of the United States to the other.
Needless to say, my dream of living in one place for the rest of my life didn’t pan out as we waved goodbye to the place chosen to be my “forever home”, as some might call it.
Not until years later, after my parents both passed away, did I start to realize that a specific place isn’t what makes a home, but rather the people we love who live there.
While my parents were still living, I loved visiting them in the town I had planned to live out my life, not ever wanting to leave the place and area that felt like home to me. But once they passed away and were no longer living there, my desire to live there passed away, too, where even the draw and appeal of it no longer called to me, not even for a visit.
Still, it was the same place I thought was where I wanted to live out my days. So what has changed my desire so completely?
The Apostle Paul explains how, “The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47), so as His followers, we are changed from residents of the earth to residents of Heaven.
In thinking about how my feelings changed drastically after my parents left this world, I considered how Jesus’ disciples and followers may have experienced similar types of feelings with His leaving and absence, like it just didn’t feel like home any longer.
Maybe why Jesus assured His followers before His leaving, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3).
How reassuring Jesus’ words must have been to them, after experiencing His death, resurrection, and ascension, to remember His telling them beforehand that He was preparing a place for them and would come back to take them with Him.
What a comfort for His followers, then and now, to hear and know, because our real home is where He is, not a place, but with Him, so to go with Him, is to go home.
As Jesus prayed in John 17:24, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.”
Likewise, Revelation 21:3 describes our future home, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
Home really is where our hearts are, where we feel most connected and loved by people rather than a particular physical location.
Since my parents left this world, Heaven does seem more like home than it did before. Knowing they are already there with Jesus draws me home.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Where is home for you? Do you feel at home and comfortable here on earth, or are you looking forward to living with Jesus in His home? If the thought of heaven seems too far off or out of reach, ask God to draw you closer to Him.
Further Reading:
A Prayer to Look Towards Heaven
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Natali_Mis
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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