Heading Home

I am on my way home.  It is taking longer than I thought it would.  As a child, I had not idea my journey would last this long.  Even though I have been traveling for a very long time, I may still be a long way off. Yet in my mind’s eye, I can see it.  Every bend in the road brings me closer.  Each step makes me wish I were there already.

Home, they say, is where the heart is.  If that’s true, then I have more than one home, but the one I most long for is the one I have held in my heart almost all my life.  Heaven is my heart's home.  I want to see the Holy City, gleaming in all its splendor.  I want to meet Peter, Paul, Moses, David, Ruth, Mary, and so many others. I want to see my relatives and friends who are already there.  I want to see the tree that bears fruit in every season and the river that flows from the throne of God.  I want to experience a place where there is no loneliness, no sadness, and especially no sin.  But most of all, I want to see Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, the One who paid the price for my sin and made it possible for me to be adopted into His family.  I want to worship Him and be amazed all over again at His love, mercy, and grace.  I want to keep learning about the amazing God who forgave and adopted people like me into His very family.

Sometimes I despair that I will get to hear Jesus say “Well done.” The long, winding road I have traveled has had many hills and valleys.  Distracted, I have sometimes forgotten to follow the map God gave me. Sometimes I have found myself off the path He had for me and had to ask Him to help me find my way back. At other times, I thought I could take a slight detour toward temptation, only to find myself desperately lost.  How blessed I was when the Holy Spirit rescued me from those sinful distractions and detours and set me back on the right road.

I am not the only one on this road.  Along the way, I share my experiences of God’s grace with others who are also heading home.  We have the same goal – to reach the gates of heaven and see Jesus welcome us with open arms.  Some are wounded and need to be nursed back to health or carried for a while.  Some are easily tempted and need a companion to help them stay on the right road.  Some are discouraged and need a friend to walk with them through dark valleys.  Some are strong and ready to help others.  Some are lethargic and need a gentle push.  Some have wandered off toward temptation and we call out to them to come back.  But together we are all heading home.

When we keep our sights set on reaching home, our goals are clearer. We help each other stay on this road.  We post warning signs along the road where we have noticed temptations.  We keep inviting those headed in the opposite direction to turn around and travel with us because our destination is so much better than the one going the other way.  We share what we know of Jesus with each other and encourage each other to keep going.  We share what we know of Him through His letters to us.  We look forward to that day when we will watch each other walk through the gates and hear Jesus say, “Well done.  Welcome home.”

Someday I may get word from my doctor that I am nearing the end of my journey. I hope that when that happens I will be excited because I finally get to cross the river to the home that has held my heart all these years.

Joy in Maine, More Joy in Georgia, and Sorrow in Florida

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”  Romans 12:15

Unlike many American families, my siblings are spread across the country and my extended family as well.  We can go months and even years before a family gathering happens.  So the past month has been unusual.  For the past three weekends, I have been with extended family.  

 

Joy. 

Three weekends ago, my brother got married in her church in Maine.  Many people came from nearby and a few from far away.  I had the privilege of traveling with my parents back to Maine, where my heart still is.  My dad officiated. 

 

It was a day of great joy as Steven, who has been looking for his match for many years, found it in a beautiful woman in Maine.  She is tall, athletic, intelligent, and a woman of great character who loves the Lord deeply.  

Many of her friends and relatives were there to celebrate with her and her family.  Several of my siblings were there as well as one cousin who drove in from New Hampshire. Some of my friends are also Tara’s friends, so I was able to reconnect with them as well.

More joy.  

The following weekend our family gathered in Georgia to celebrate my parents’ 90^th birthdays.  Dad is six days older than Mom, so both of their birthdays happen later this month.  In order to make it easier for people to attend, we decided to hold the celebration on the Saturday before Labor Day.  Invitations were sent out a while ago.  Their church offered to provide the meeting space, the food, and the flowers.  

All of us took part in making it a success.  My older sister decorated.  My younger sister provided the desserts.  The brothers sang.  (My youngest brother, who is a missionary in Japan, was unable to make it, so Charlie provided the fourth voice in the quartet.)  

We also read through a timeline of each of their lives.  For each of them, it was a demonstration of God's grace and their faith in that great God.

More than one hundred people attended.  Two of Dad’s siblings came up from Florida.  Some of their nieces and nephews came from as far as California.  A granddaughter came from Kuwait and a grandson from England.  Many of their church came as well as former colleagues from AMG.  It was a great day for us to celebrate lives that have been lived by faith in a great God.

 

The following day, Steven and Tara held a reception for those who were not able to attend the wedding.  They played a video of the ceremony and we ate lunch together.  Steven shared some precious words about his bride.  Again, it was a day of great joy.

Sorrow.   

This weekend my parents and I traveled to Florida to spend some time with my dad’s family.  My youngest uncle, Uncle David, was dying of cancer, and we wanted to see him before he died while he could still talk with us.  We drove down on Saturday and spent the night with another uncle.  On Sunday we went to church where my cousin’s husband pastors and they invited us to their house for lunch along with a bunch of others.

It was after 2:00 when we left my cousin’s home.   I called Aunt Edna to ask if it was a good time to come.  She warned us that he was now sleeping a lot.  When we walked in, we hugged her and began talking with her in quiet voices, while Uncle David lay in a hospital bed there in the living room.  I hoped that he would awaken so that we could at least talk with him a little, but he continued to lie there.  After a while I got up to stand by his bed.  He was quiet, almost too quiet.  We asked her about that.  

“He’s been like that for a couple days now,” she said.  "He wakes up long enough to drink a little and then goes back to sleep."

After a while Dad said it was time to leave.  Mom and I got up and went to the hospital bed once more and stood on either side.  He had not moved at all since we had arrived.  I reached out and touched him.  He was cold to the touch.  Mom and I both looked for a pulse.  There was none.  Aunt Edna came over and touched him too and agreed.  He was gone.  He had evidently slipped quietly away while we were there.

Joy in glory for him.  Sorrow for us who remain.  Dad came over and prayed.  Tears fell.  We will miss this great man who touched all of our lives in great ways.  

Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of knowing and loving him.