have you ever really felt home? i almost never do. i just don't fit in the places i find myself in. there's just something missing in them. most lack freedom in the air, order in the architecture, grandeur in the scenery, or love in the faces of the people that live in them. that's not to say i don't feel God's freedom within my heart, i simply don't feel the same freedom mirrored within most of my surroundings; that's not to say that i don't feel his security comfort me, but that i almost never touch anything that's sure around me, be it physical, mental, or spiritual, within this world we live in. that's not to say that He doesn't shower me in love, cause He never fails to cover me in more ways than i can imagine, and He has surrounded me with incredible people filled with so much of His love within them. but, at the same time, there are also so many people around me who walk around defeated, insecure, hateful, and downtrodden. why do i feel so often like this place, however incredible, is so different from the God who made me?
maybe it's just because this isn't where i'm made for.
"if i find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy, i can only conclude that i was not made for this world." -c.s. lewis
this past weekend, i got to go for the seventh time to an incredible retreat called sharptop cove. every time i go, God fills me with hope, not just while i'm there, but even more when i get home. because, while there, you feel so comfortable, so loved, so enamored with the mountains around you, the crystal clear lake, the sapphire sky, and the love in the eyes of the students that lead the camp, you quickly forget just how special it really is. it just feels like home, like life is supposed to be. when i get home, i realize just how empty the world i live in is. i've forgotten my homeland, the place where i really belong.
Heaven.
there are so many misconceptions of the place. we think of our own little hobbies, trinkets, pets, vices that might be there. we think of meeting incredible people who've gone before us, of reuniting with loved ones passed away. but have we really considered what Heaven really is?
the place where God is.
can we imagine that? to be in the presence of God, almighty, omniscient, all-loving, with no hindrances, no distractions of the flesh, no hatred, no lesser fears. to stand before utter goodness, justice, power, and love; naked before your Creator. can we really imagine the beauty of a land literally consumed with His presence, splendor, and majesty. geography, nature, creation beyond our most awe-inspiring sights. all consumed with the love pouring out from His Holy Spirit...
every year for the past seven years, i've spent some of my time at camp underneath a tree with a trunk that curves like a seat, talking with God, looking at His creation, and listening to what He has to tell me. this year, as i sat under that tree, i realized "this is my last time doing this. i will never return to sharptop as a camper."
His response was immediate and shell-shocking: "This is nothing. This is a glimpse of what i have for you. See these stars? Just wait and see the lights i have waiting for you when you get Home. Just wait for the Talks we'll have someday."
for all the beauty in that place, it is less than a glimpse of my home. for all the love within the people there (including me) it is nothing compared to the love He will pour out on me and all those with me when i arrive at my homeland.
i'm a child who's tasted one little chocolate bar in his entire life and is about to inherit willy wonka's factory.
this life is beautiful, but this is nothing compared to what's to come.
"but there's far more to life for us. we're citizens of high heaven! we're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him." -phillipians 3:20
"since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? daily expect the day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we'll hardly notice. we'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new Heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness." -2 peter 3:11
"i saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. i saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband." -revelation 21:1-2
if you're exhausted, fed up with your surroundings, or bogged down by the weight of this world, know that this isn't it. there's so much more in store for you than this world! look ahead to what's to come, and know He's made it just for you!
"each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? they saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. people who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. but they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. you can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them." -hebrews 11:13
"we all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt, our sins too much for us— but you get rid of them once and for all. blessed are the chosen! blessed the guest at home in your place! we expect our fill of good things in your house, your heavenly mansion. all your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room. Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser, Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash, of mobs in noisy riot— far and wide they'll come to a stop, they'll stare in awe, in wonder. dawn and dusk take turns calling, 'Come and worship.' " -psalm 65:2
praying that y'all all catch a glimpse of Heaven! can't wait for our homecoming! God bless!
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