Homesick

The Truth As Far As I Can Tell…

 

John 14:1-4 – “¹ Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. ⁴ And you know the way to where I am going.”

 

This Title Max Pawn Shop in Macon, GA used to be a
Gabby's Diner, where my wife and I had our first date.

I traveled to Macon, GA for a funeral this week.  Going to Macon often gives me a bittersweet feeling.  You see Macon is the hometown where I grew up.  It’s where I went to school, made friends, met my wife, and got married.  Going home to Macon is bittersweet because it has changed so much.  Most all of the places are still there.  I can point them out.  There is the old neighborhood, Burghard Elementary, Ballard A Middle School, and Southwest High.  There is the place I worked my first job. 

As I said, the community has changed a lot.  Everything is older.  It seems worn out and run down.  Gabby’s Diner, where Kelly and I had our first date, is a Title Pawn now.  Even if everything was the same, I’ve changed.  So, home just isn’t the same.  Those days of my youth are gone.  I can’t go back to them.   So it’s kind of bittersweet to go home to Macon because it feels like home has sort of been lost.  I can remember it, but I can’t go back and I don’t even know if I’d want to.  The Truth is, the good ole days weren’t necessarily that good anyway.

This bittersweet feeling reminds me that Home—our true Home, Home with a “capital H”—is not a place we go back to.  It never was.  Our real Home, the place our soul really longs to be, is somewhere we are going forward to.  You see, Home is not the house you grew up in.  Home is not Grandma’s house over in Bloomfield.  Home is not even the old church you went to as a kid.  Home—our real Home—is the place we learn about from Jesus when we read the Bible, when we worship in Church.  Our eternal Home is the reward awaiting all who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

That is the Good News of the Christian faith.  We believe that those who follow Christ as their Lord and Savior have victory over sin and death.  Being a Christian doesn’t mean we are perfect.  You don’t have to be perfect to come to Jesus.  Actually, Jesus came to save us from our sin—to forgive the mistakes we’ve made (no matter how many times we’ve made them)—and to enable us to make a brand new start.  Jesus loved us when we didn’t deserve it, when we were totally unlovable.  He laid down his life for us on the cross so we don’t have to pay the price for our sins.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We have something great to look forward to after this life is over.  We have eternity.  Home is not a place we go back to.  Home is a place we go forward to.  Of course, I’m no expert and I certainly don’t claim to know everything, but that’s the Truth as far as I can tell…

 

Remember, God loves you and so do I!

Follow this link to hear a great song called "Homesick" by Mercy Me.