Temporary Residents
Nothing reminds one of their temporary residence on Earth like being displaced from their earthly residence. I’m certainly not the first to find myself transitioning between interim locations on the way to a more stable situation. I’ve thought a lot about those that have found their home destroyed by natural disaster or had spouses deployed–neither of which is my situation.
Jared left headed to Texas last week. He has now started his new position at First Baptist Church, Round Rock. On the way, he made the rounds visiting parents, visiting friends and transporting the cat to my parents where she’ll stay until we get settled.
[Tweet “Nothing reminds one of their temporary residence on Earth like being displaced from their earthly residence. “]
I began the process of moving out of house the next day. The packing happened on Wednesday, the loading on Thursday. Thankfully good friends who are more like family stepped in and helped me take care of the kids while relocation took over our existence.
We were provided with a place to live until Kati Ann was able to finish school. We stayed at the local Missionary house at Willowbrook for 6 days. We kinda camped out. The kids were a bit uneasy about sleeping in a strange place so we moved some twin mattresses in the master bedroom and as Kie said every night before we went to sleep “we’re having a sleepover!”
Today, we’re on our way to the first set of grandparents. We’ll be there for awhile before we move on to the next set of grandparents and eventually we join Jared.
I don’t want to over-dramatize our situation but I have continually been reminded through this process how similar this journey is to our voyage as believers. KA, Kie and I miss Jared so much. We miss being together. We miss our home. Our goal is to be with Jared and back together as a family.
As believers, our ultimate destination–the final goal is being face to face with Jesus. The ache we feel for another person (a spouse, parent or loved one) should pale in comparison to the longing we have for Jesus.
[Tweet “Our ultimate destination–the final goal is being face to face with Jesus.”]
As I sit in a hotel room at my computer, I don’t need anyone to remind me I’m currently not at home. Yet, for believers, there seems to be a need for such a reminder. This place–this life it’s not the final destination. This is a short-term gig.
When we find ourselves entrenched in the world, we lose our angst for Heaven–for Jesus. Becoming familiar with our culture can cause the longing to fade. We start to feel as if maybe we belong here and we forget our status as citizens of Heaven. We forget we are visitors–strangers in a foreign land.
So, I’m displaced for a while between earthly homes. This present circumstance serves as a reminder of my final home in Heaven. It stirs in me a yearning for a place and a person whom I will see on day. I will fall before my Jesus in awe and know I am finally home.
Question: What are the circumstances that have reminded you this isn’t your home?
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