Going Home

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. —2 Timothy 4:7-8

My dog and I have had more than a few disagreements about taking a walk. When Bella was a tiny pup, she would reluctantly follow behind me, half-dragged on the leash, to the end of our yard and then sit and refuse to walk further. This was not good. One of the reasons I wanted her was to take lovely walks with her. She has progressed over time and trots along with me quite nicely, but she still has her quirks. When we leave our house, she walks slightly behind me. She keeps up but is not eager to be leading. Then, just as soon as we turn toward home, that dog is out front pulling for all she’s worth, leading me home. Bella loves going home.

How about you? Of course, not everyone has a home that feels safe, and if you are in a home like that, I am so deeply sorry. For most of us, home is good and where we want to be. I love visiting our children and grandchildren. I enjoy speaking at ladies’ retreats and exploring new territory. Still … after being away for a while, my heart is “out front,” pulling me toward home. There’s no bed quite like mine. There’s no big brown chair quite as molded to my frame. I love everything about our little ranch home, from the furniture to the woods behind it to the window boxes in front. It’s not fancy, but it’s ours, and I can relax there. It’s my place.

Whether we have the great privilege of loving our current homes or not, if we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we have the best home ever waiting for us. Jesus’ eagerness to get back to Heaven is evident in His talk with His disciples on His way to Gethsemane:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. … You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” —John 14:1-3, 28 NIV

As Jesus faces the cross, He is also looking beyond it to the reason He is choosing it: To share Heaven—the ultimate home—with us! He’s going ahead to actually make it ready for us … preparing a place for us! Then He’ll come for us and bring us to this perfectly-prepared home. He tells His disciples they ought to be glad He is going home to His Father, and in all His words, we see His eagerness for the disciples to know the Father and Heaven the way He does. Jesus wants us to come home with Him.

At 65, more than half my life is behind me. When I was younger, I remember how eager I was to live here on earth, to have a family, a job, and a place to call my own. The older I get, the more eager I am to see my forever home. Like Bella, I feel the pace quickening as I age and my eagerness increasing to be with the One I love. (Don’t get me wrong. I really do love where I am right now. I just don’t want to ever lose track of the better home to come.)

Near the end of his life, Paul wrote these rich words to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NIV). Paul knew his time was short. He had stayed the course with the call on his life and now he longed for Jesus! I love his yearning.

May we all look forward to the day when we, too, will have finished our race, kept the faith, and received that crown of righteousness—only given because of Jesus’ cleansing—and then laid our crown at His feet in awe and adoration.

Heavenly Father, thank You for these glimpses of yearning in Jesus and in Paul as they anticipate leaving their earthly bodies and being with You in eternity. Give us that same longing, Lord God, for You and for all You have prepared for us. When it’s our turn to die, help us face it with the sure “knowing” that we will soon be more whole, more perfect, and more at home than we’ve ever been. In Jesus’ Name, whose death and resurrection made it all possible, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

Donate
If you’ve been blessed, keep the blessing going!
Click over to our Donation page … and thanks.

Share it. Pin it.