“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
― Maya Angelou,
As another school year ends, it still catches me a little by surprise that I have a handful of students who don’t want the school year to an end.
As a teacher of middle school kids, you would think they will blare Alice Cooper’s, School’s Out through their phones the minute the last day of school ends. This isn’t so for some.
Home for some kids is not a safe place to be. It’s not a place that brings comfort, relaxation, rest and rejuvenation. Instead, many experience anger, neglect, judgment and violence.
Some kids these days would do anything to avoid being home any longer than is necessary and I don’t blame them.
These children are not the only ones who don’t feel home is a good place; there are adults who don’t either.
Some adults have to face conflict, anger, drug addiction, and apathy radiating from the other occupants of the home. If this is the case, why would they want to be there?
When home is not a safe and comfortable place, many cope by choosing a strategy that is counterproductive. Some try to escape into their own worlds, maybe by reading, drinking, or working long hours.
Others deal with these conflicts aggressively; this is the “get them before they get you” mentality. With this strategy, the home becomes a war zone.
Still others keep peace, no matter what the cost. To these people, peace, at whatever the price is worth it.
As I reflect on these things, my thinking moves to the place beyond this world. I chuckle softly to myself as I realize many of us are not looking forward to our eternal home.
Our Eternal Home
Death and the next life is a mystery and, ironically, Christians sometimes think their next home is something to dread. The fear of the unknown takes over.
But our next home, heaven, is not a complete unknown. The Bible tells us a lot about heaven and all of it is good.
1. There will be no more evil, pain or sorrow in heaven.
Revelation 21:4 (NIV) says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
2. God is planning and preparing special things just for you.
John 14:2 (NIV) “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?”
3. The good and beauty of heaven will saturate us beyond human description.
I Corinthians 2:9 NIV) “However, as it is written: What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
4. God, Himself, will be with you, face to face; the essence of love will dwell with you.
Revelation 21:3 (NIV) “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”
It is understandable that there are children and adults reluctant to go home because home is unsafe and even evil.
As Christians, we can expect, by faith, a home that exceeds our imagination in the good it engulfs.
