Why don't we talk about Home more?

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

C. S. Lewis

  If something is important to you, you think about it a lot…you talk about it a lot. This weekend will finish what has been a long anticipated time for our family. For several months our whole family has been looking forward to Aaron coming home for a visit from Taiwan with his fiancé, Jiaya Tsai. Not only were we longing to see Aaron, we were looking forward to meeting this new member of our family. It’s hard to believe that the last time Aaron was home was a year ago. Though we are all very proud of him and support what he is doing, (teaching English in Taiwan), we greatly miss him. We love Aaron and would love to have him closer. These times when we are all together again are so special to us. Praise the Lord, we live in a time of modern technology and Aaron is literally a video call away!

  Recently, I had lunch with a dear friend who lost his wife to cancer a few months ago. His hurt will no doubt never go away on this side of eternity. He loves and dearly misses his wife. Before her Homegoing, I remember often talking with Mom Cummins and she’d express her heartache and how much she longed to go Home and be re-united with Dad. A believer has something that an unbeliever can’t understand – Hope! Yes, there’s pain and hurt, but we know that it’s all temporary. We know that it’s truly “Good-night” not “Good-bye” on this side of heaven.

  Yet, other than funerals or when someone is elderly or ill, we hardly think about heaven. Most of us talk more about retirement, which at best will last a few decades, but rarely do we long for our eternal Home. Sadly, I have to confess that I’m far too this world oriented. I think more about this life, my “To Do” list, or even what I’m going to eat, than I do eternity.

  And if something isn’t important to us, we’re not going to talk about it with those we care about, much less a total stranger. For example, when I go to a restaurant that’s really good, I tell my friends about it. Recently, Jane and tried out a new one because a friend had highly recommended it.

  It used to be that Christians were accused of being so “heavenly minded that they were no earthly good.” That’s not really a problem today. Unfortunately, at least, I know it’s not my problem. I find that the Apostle Paul’s words prick my earth-limited heart, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2). Being with Christ for all eternity must be the focus of life. We should be actively training our minds to think about the day when Christ is revealed and we’re finally Home. It’s easy to be distracted. Temporal concerns easily grab our attention and overall it seems like we don’t think about heaven very much. Part of our difficulty is that the Bible tells us more about what won’t be in heaven than what will be there. Then, some foolishly think that heaven is going to be boring, like one very long church service. It’s not! It will be every joy, thrill, peace and satisfaction that’s beyond our imagination on this sin contaminated earth.

  The best part of heaven though is that Jesus will be there. The One who loved us so much that He died for us, even though He knew how sinful we all are. Jesus loved us, died for us and paid the price for all of our sin.

  One of my favorite hymn writers is Fanny Crosby, who wrote more than 9,000 hymns. She wrote so many that she was forced to use pen names so hymnals wouldn’t be filled with her name. The most remarkable thing about her was that she did this in spite of being blind from infancy.

  One time a well-meaning preacher commented to her, “I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when he showered so many other gifts upon you.” Fanny Crosby responded at once, “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I was born blind? Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.” No wonder she wrote:

  Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But, O the joy when I shall wake
Within the presence of the King! 

Some day my earthly house will fall,
I cannot tell how soon ’twill be,
But this I know—my All in all
Has now a place with Him for me.

And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story, saved by grace:
And I shall see Him face to face,
  And tell the story, saved by grace.   

  We are so thankful that Aaron is home. Wonderfully, he didn’t come alone. I don’t want to go Home alone, do you? In my Quiet Time with the Lord, I have several folk who I love that don’t yet know my Savior that I’m praying will know my Jesus. Heaven is so wonderful and Jesus is so incomparable that it would break my heart if they missed it. I don’t want to go to heaven alone, do you? Let’s focus on the real world!  

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. "