Let's think of all the cheesy clichés about "home."
Home is where you hang your hat.
A house is made of walls and beams, a home is built with love and dreams.
Home is where I lay my head.
Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes.
Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. - Robert Frost
Home is where the heart is.
(If you can think of more home quotes, leave a comment.)
As the kids grow older we will have to explain it in more depth. Someday, this conversation will be a great opportunity to share Philippians 3:20, "our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." I Peter 2:11, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." Our kids will understand citizenship and alienation in very real ways. While we are praying that this experience will give our children a larger worldview, we are also praying that the feeling of alienation will drive them to Christ as their security, identity, and joy.
If we just believed that home is where the heart is, that could be a very chaotic place for deceptive hearts. But, if we believe that our home is in Heaven, we have hope of change and hope of life.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking about how this applies to you guys and just wondering, "If home is America, then you won't be very effective in Tanzania. If home is Tanzania, you won't be very effective in Tanzania because everybody's made it to the finish line. But, if home is Heaven, then you all can reach across cultural lines and preach the gospel with boldness!"
How awesome is our God. Thanks for sharing.
As I was reading this post, I immediately thought you could explain that this world is not our home. And then you usurped my thought :D Good for you!
ReplyDeleteHome will be for you, Ben, Upsala. You will always be welcome here. And that feeling of welcome can be one component of 'home.'