Oh, to be Home!!

There have been moments/phases when I could nearly cry with longing for Home. The song “In Christ Alone” expresses it well- that it is in Jesus Christ “where fears are stilled and strivings cease.” And to quote from an older song, “Another Time, Another Place,” this song states “where all my hopes and dreams will be captured with one look at Jesus’ face!”
How perfectly stated! For I have no doubt that will be the case when I at long last see Him face to face!
How do we define home? How do I define it? There are different “homes” that I must consider.
There is our “home”, where I’m sure we will always long to be the most- which is where most of our immediate/close family members are. We both also spent all or most of our childhood years in this place. Because of that, we have quite a network of people who are still willing to this day to maintain friendship with us!
Secondly there is the place that we will always consider “our hometown.” It is where we spent the last five years of our lives- and the beginning of our lives together. It is here that we dated, got engaged, and lived after being married. We served together in a small Church Body, and developed many precious friendships, some of which I’m sure (and I hope!) will be maintained for years to come.
But being in a phase of transition has its joys and its challenges. It has been a perfect treading ground for detaching from our hometown and preparing to move to a new place. But on the challenge side, I have experienced moments/phases of loneliness- some of the deepest loneliness my heart has experienced in years. The word “home” is most definitely connected with the word “belonging.” It was a significantly long journey to feel that I belonged in our hometown. But leaving it was more like plucking a drop of water from a bucket- there is no empty space left. Everyone moves on, us included. As much as I love our hometown, I don’t feel any sense of belonging to it anymore. And although we have met with many open, embracing arms here in our “home”, I have been keenly aware of the intimate bonds and circles that exist.
Those bonds and circles are wonderful and important. But it leaves me in a somewhat awkward place. It prevents that real feeling of belonging.
And so I find myself asking the Lord, “what am I to do with such loneliness? How can anyone deal with such loneliness?” It really comes down to one question. Where is your real HOME?
Well, I’ve known and been reminded that there is only ONE answer. And it is NO mystery!! It is not complicated. It is not difficult. It actually jumps back to the first paragraph. The apostles, several of whom were some of the first to know Jesus personally (face to face as a man!), said it quite perfectly. There is only one answer for ‘surviving’ such loneliness. And not just surviving it, but thriving in spite of it!
As they wrote:
“Set your minds on things above…”
“Set your hearts on things above, not on things below…”
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…”
“…for our citizenship is in Heaven…”
As Rich Mullins wrote in one of his songs, “I’m home anywhere, if You are where I am.” That is where Home truly is. It is why we, as His children, can stand firm and confident and JOYFUL (!), even though greatly alone at times.
So may we hold our earthly lives loosely. For they are but a vapor, a breath, a mist, a brief moment. Let us focus intentionally on our heavenly home with our great and wonderful God. And praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ who has become the mediator between us and God- that we may one day soon indeed enter into that rest, that glorious Home that He has gone to prepare for us!
Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen!