Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Because we are only visitors

When I was a little girl, I was so afraid.

I was afraid of the dark, of strangers, of the future, of what would happen to my brother and me if our parents died,

and of God.

I was, in fact, terrified of God.

He was far away, distant, and angry.  He was a gray old man holding a list of sins, angrily checking them off as I committed them.

"Lying...check."

"Disobeyed her parents...check"

"Reading smut novels...check"

"Cussed...check-check."

"Gossip...check."

I was scared of dying yet I was also afraid to live.  I was paralyzed and useless and lost.

Then He found me.

Years have gone by and phases have passed and now I find myself in a place I did not expect.  As my children grow and the questions come, I reassure them...and me...with the gentle reminder that we are not Home.

Not yet.

We are only visitors here.

We feel uncomfortable and things seem hard because we don't belong here.  Our Home awaits us and, oh, it will be so worth it all when we get there.  We will never be afraid, never hurt, and we will understand the things that confuse us now.  God loves us so much.  He constantly works in us to make us more like Jesus, to cleanse us of the sin that holds us back.  He wants us to trust Him, we CAN trust Him, because He sees the beginning and the end all at the same time and He knows exactly how this is all going to work out.  He promises that He is worth it.

We listen to music...to lyrics that remind us of who we are and Whose we are.  Lyrics like this:

Just beyond a veil of wind, a million angels waiting in the wings, 
swirling storm of cherubim, making ready for the Reckoning...

and this:


And we just can't get used to being here
Where the ticking clock is loud and clear
Children of eternity
On the run from entropy

and, finally, this:

We wake in the night in the womb of the world
We beat our fists on the door
We cannot breathe in this sea that swirls,
so we groan in this great darkness.

(Lyrics from "Don't you want to thank Someone,"  "Day by Day," and "Come Back Soon" by Andrew Peterson from his new album "Light for the Lost Boy."  By the way...this album is awesome.)

These words stick with me, cause me to look upward and take joy in what is just beyond my sight.  Words like this brood in the depths of my heart and create a longing for all to be made right, for this chaos to come to a screeching halt and the clouds part as our King descends in victory.  These words would have been meaningless to me as a child.  They would have caused fear and maybe confusion in my early years but, somehow, my children seem to grasp them.  I hear them singing along as the music plays in our home and I can't help but marvel that my children will, hopefully, grow up with a longing for Home...at least a better understanding than I had that this is not all there is.  This life is just a rehearsal where we learn to love and live together as a Family.  It is also a chance for us to gather the crowd and bring as many people as we can with us to the place where we all truly belong.

Because we are only visitors.  In fact, we are ambassadors.

And I have to stop here and ask you...

Where is your home?  Do you know that you belong to the Kingdom of God?  Do you know where you are going when you die?  If not...if you have any doubt at all...let me assure you that you can know.  You can receive the Promise of eternity, of true and never-ending life.  You can know that, no matter how hard things may be here, it is only temporary and that one day it will all be worth it.

Jesus died on the cross for you.  He was buried and rose from the dead three days later.  He has gone to prepare a place for you...your true home.  And He promises that, once you surrender your life to Him, He will never let you go.

Never.

Safe and secure you can live, knowing that there is nothing to fear.  To live is Christ and to die is gain.

You don't have to clean up first or have it all figured out.  He will do the cleaning, and He will train your heart to obey Him.  You just have to be willing to say yes to Him.  Just say yes and give your life to Him.

Please.

Here is the link to the album I mentioned above.  Just click on the picture.  You won't be sorry.




1 comment:

  1. Beautiful. Sharing this on Facebook. (Don't worry, I won't use your REAL name. :) Especially loved this: "He wants us to trust Him, we CAN trust Him, because He sees the beginning and the end all at the same time and He knows exactly how this is all going to work out. He promises that He is worth it.'

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