I’m home visiting my family in Seattle for a time. The only problem is, I’m a little homesick for Virginia. These days, when I think of home, I think of the near-constant drizzle of rain in the Pacific Northwest and the taste of steamed blue crabs in the Mid-Atlantic. But there’s also the sight of bright-colored leaves in the fall in New England that come to mind. And the smell of smoke from village fires in Malawi, Africa.
After growing up in Seattle, I have spent enough time in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Virginia, England, and Malawi to feel as if they are all home. The consequence of this is that no matter where I am, I am homesick.
I suppose this is one of the lessons God wants us to learn if He has called us to move often. Because if we are members of God’s kingdom, then no matter where we are on Earth, we should be homesick for our true home.
The writer of Hebrews spoke of our longing for heaven, after chronicling all the saints that have died before us:
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
—Hebrews 11:13-16
Our heavenly home is one where natural disasters can’t sweep away our houses, where busted water heaters can’t flood our basements, where we don’t need to store our valuables in locked safes for fear of burglary.
When times are good, we see a shadow of how much better heaven will be. And when times are bad, we are painfully reminded that we are pilgrims, journeying through trials along our way to the kingdom.
Let us keep this heavenly perspective as we travel; loving all that is good where we are and patiently waiting for the better place when we are wanting. Be all where you are and await the day with joy when those who love Jesus will see Him face to face.
All my life I’ve heard them talk of heaven
It’s a place where loved ones live while ages roll
And it’s been many, many years since sins forgiven
And I’m just a little homesick to go
Yesterday brought tears and made me wonder
If I’d ever walk upon those streets of gold
Oh, but Lord you gave me strength—I didn’t blunder
And I’m just a little homesick to go
But must I wait until the sun dries up the ocean
Or till the farmer goes to reap before he sows
I’ve set my eyes upon the sky for the slightest motion
Cause I’m just a little homesick to go
I’ve set my eyes upon the sky for the slightest motion
Cause I’m just a little homesick to go
Oh Lord, I’m just a little homesick to go!
—Kenny Hinson
About the Author
Lindsey M. Roberts spent years writing exclusively for secular journalism, including such outlets as The Washington Post, Architect, and Gray magazine, before she first tried to write about Jesus. She’s thrilled to explore in words how everything from cleaning the kitchen three times a day to delighting in the maritime history of Nantucket is an opportunity to meet and glorify God. Lindsey lives with her husband, a pastor and U.S. Army Reserve chaplain, and son in Virginia.
Home: How Heaven & the New Earth Satisfy Our Deepest Longings
Heaven Is the Home You’ve Been Waiting For
In this world of fear, trials, and loneliness we often feel adrift–like we’re still searching for a place where we can truly make ourselves at home. There’s a longing for something more, something that makes us feel like we belong, something that resonates perfectly with who we were made to be. This longing is no small thing to be brushed off and forgotten–it’s a guidepost letting us know we were made for another world. Earth is not our home. But it’s close.
What we long for is the new earth, the place God has been preparing for our eternity with him. In Home, Elyse Fitzpatrick explores heaven and the afterlife, demonstrating that our final destination is not some dull, featureless space in the clouds, but rather a perfected earth. It’s a real, physical place that we’ll explore with real bodies. A place of beauty and wonder and free of all death and decay.
