Going Home

And if I go and prepare a place

for you, I will come again, and

receive you unto myself; that

where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:3

It was my first time to take a trip “far away” where I would stay for two weeks. I was all of nine years old at the time. I stayed at my Aunt Lee's place that was very near Chicago. She lived in a boarding house. Mr. & Mrs. Primass had a very large two story house in a lovely neighborhood. There were five good sized bedrooms on the second flood that they rented out. Mrs. Primass cooked for everyone...all three meals. She and her husband were really sweet people. Aunt Lee had the nicest room upstairs, a front corner room with lots of sunshine and cross ventilation created by the two windows on two different walls.

There were three neighbor girls my age and we four became good buds right away. I enjoyed playing by myself too, with my dolls and playthings in the backyard of the large house. One day though, things came crashing down. My parents were due to come for me in three days but upon waking up one morning, my aunt took one look at me and let out a shriek. I had the mumps...on both sides and guess I looked pretty bad. She wouldn't let me look in a mirror that day. Aunt Lee made a quick call to my mom and told her to forget coming for at least another two weeks.

I was getting to where I loved being with my aunt and Mr. & Mrs. Primass. My mother sent me a book to read. It was my first big book with chapters, a Bobbsey Twins book. With little to do including no TV, I dug into that book and had it read through in about three days. My aunt couldn't believe I could read that fast so I read the book again and again. Meals were brought to me in bed. I grew to really love that room with the pretty blue flowered wall paper and white organdy curtains gently being tossed about from the breeze coming through the windows.

My fourth week there, my Aunt Lee told me that I was well so she had called my parents to tell them that they could come whenever they wanted to. They came the following weekend with my sister Kay. A strange feeling came over me. I had been in that nice house with new friends next door. It suddenly dawned on me that I was going home...and I didn't want to go. How could that be? I cried and cried privately in that pretty bedroom, not wanting my mother especially to be hurt. Aunt Lee knew I was upset so we talked. She explained all the reasons why I had to go home. My town in Southern Illinois with the house on Clark Street was my home where my real family lived, so I should be sweet and not hurt my parents.

We left for home. It was hard saying good-bye to newly made childhood friends as well as my aunt and adult friends. I was teary on the way home...couldn't imagine it being better than what I'd had for a month. I just knew I would never again love my real home like the one I had experienced for that month...mumps and all.

Why do I relay this incident? As I've thought over this experience, I've compared it to this earth we live on in our individual towns and houses. God has put us where we are, but it's only a temporary trip. The day will come when Jesus will come for us to take us to THE real place...Heaven. The problem is that while here, we've come to love this ol' earth with all of it's flaws and problems. We've made friends that we like to “play with.” We've gotten used to the food and our surroundings. We've been close to family and friends as well. While here, I've read lots and lots of chapter books. I've asked Brian while driving through the mountains if he thought Heaven could be this pretty. To be honest, I'm concerned about that because I've never really cared for gold all that much. For me, Heaven would have lots of beautiful mountains with streams and all that goes with this kind of setting.

One day, while reading my Bible, it dawned on me that as the song goes, “This world is not my home...I'm just a passin' through.” I realized like being with my Aunt and loving it there, while here on this earth, I've gotten to where I love it here and can't imagine being anyplace else just like it was when a little girl. I'm afraid at times, I've pounded my tent pegs too deep into the soil of this world, having no desire to move or go anyplace else.

While thinking and praying about all of this, some facts were reinforced in my mind and heart on this subject:

For one thing, I don't think I'm the only person who has made herself at home on this old planet. I think there is a vast majority of Christians who find themselves thinking like I had come to think. One indication is all the doctors we see and medications we swallow. Why? We're hanging onto this place for dear life, not that there's anything wrong with taking medications. Survival is something that is a part of us and who we are.

Because Scripture doesn't give us much information about Heaven, I think it's a difficult reality for us. Oh it's there and it's very real but like my dreading returning to my family home, we would like to stay here and not go any other place. We've had friends and family go on ahead of us to this wonderful place but they aren't able to call us to tell us what it's like.

The major thing that is a winner for me though is just the thought of Jesus being there in Heaven anticipating my coming. He told His disciples in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for them (us). The wonderful thing is His plan to come and get us at the appropriate time. He meanwhile is in Heaven interceding for us with the Father (Hebrews 7:25). He even prays to the Father for us when we just don't have the words to utter on our own.

I don't have to have a travel brochure about Heaven. I don't have to know what it looks like. I don't have to know who is already there. It doesn't make any difference if I don't care for gold. When John, in the book of Revelation, tells about that beautiful place, all of that is well and good. There are folks I want to see when I get there, but the simple fact is that we should want to get to our eternal home because Jesus is there. I want to see Him before anyone else. The surroundings won't be as important as getting to be in His presence, worshiping Him and loving Him in person. We will have no longing for that eternal home if we don't stay in close relationship with our Savior now, studying His word and being people of prayer. Staying in close contact with Him will create a hunger in our hearts, a feeling of homesickness for our real forever home. Heaven will be home because Jesus is there.

Lord Jesus, I have such a longing to see You in person. Thank You for making Heaven a reality for me through your dying for my sin and rising from the dead that I might live eternally with You. I love You and anticipate our face to face meeting some day. Amen.