Last week my husband and I were heading down South on vacation. Along the way, we took a detour and visited the home I moved away from some 40 years ago. The old neighborhood is in the midst of an old Victorian summer village and there wasn’t much room for change. Most of the woods, creeks and homes I traipsed about are still there, but being there felt like an odd dream. Familiar trees remain, but they’re huge. The old landmarks are still present, but gone are familiar faces. I remember when we moved from that little town to a very busy, paved suburb, and how I grieved the loss of hills and woods, but time healed. You can go back, but you can’t always go back home. This truth hurts a bit as my daughter just moved out of our home and our tearful goodbyes are fresh memories. Our home isn’t the same without her. These earthly homes change.
David’s words soothe that ache in my heart:
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2
I long for my true unshakable home:
I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Psalm 61:4
It gets better yet:
Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. Psalm 65:4
Jesus reassures me:
Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later. John 13:36
I have been blessed with a beautiful physical home, not just my mailing address, but this earthly human frame that God breathed life into. Time marches on. Houses eventually crumble, bodies fail, people we love come and go. Nothing stands still, but there is this unmovable certainty of my home. The place where my heart is always welcome: a place of joy, peace, protection and rest, the place my Father dwells. Today I enjoy but a glimpse of the heavenly home my Father has prepared for me and one day, I’ll know this home fully and forever.
Sixty-six books in a year 