Going Home

There’s something special about going home. It may be a place where we grew up or a place that holds favorite memories. It may be a new location where we just feel “at home.”

Some people have lived their whole lives in one place. It may be one town or even one house. A homestead that has been passed on for generations. I have trouble imagining that because I’ve lived in so many different houses, towns, even states here in this country.

If you have lived in a country other than your birthplace, you know it takes a long time to feel like that is home. Think of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of Israel. He lived many years in Israel, but his final ones were spent in Egypt. He was in exile with his family. But when it came time to die, he requested that his bones be transported back home for burial.

And Joseph, his son, had spent his entire life in Egypt. But he still considered himself a foreigner there. He asked for his bones to be taken to Israel, the promised land, for burial. What a strong connection this family had to the land God had given them.

But what about those of us who are outside of that tradition? Do we have a real home? Do we have a “promised land?” The bible assures us that we do if we belong to Christ. “This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come” (Hebrews 13:14, NIV). “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 3:20, NIV).

Many  times in this life I have felt like a vagabond. Maybe it’s because I was one. Wandering from place to place without permanent roots. But that’s all right. I’m not supposed to be too tightly bound to this earth. I am rooted in Christ Jesus and look forward to being with Him forever. And wherever that is, it will feel like home. What do you think?