I must confess: I love living on earth. I realize that my sunny attitude toward this life is largely due to the facts of where and when I was born, who my parents were, and a host of other details that make my life very good. I hope I get to enjoy it for a long time.
Still, there are days when life on this planet is very troubling, when to be free from worry and fear would be such a relief. Watching friends--or even strangers--grow sick and die is hard to do, even on the best days. The impermanence of life as we know it is often sad.
These and other kinds of changes can rob our joy and make life seem wearisome. I remember when I was in college---so young and relatively innocent!---and grew tired of moving into the dorm and then out of the dorm every semester. My room at home, a room that had always been a comfortable and cozy place, became little more than a temporary stopping place between stints at school.
During one of those brief periods at home, I was reading my Bible one night and came across--for the first time I could remember--Hebrews 13:14, "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." When I read this verse, I stopped and read it again. It is right in the middle of a discussion of Jesus as the high priest and the sacrifice for our sins. Because of Jesus and His sacrifice, we have the hope of a permanent home.
The next verse calls us to "offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." I am, indeed, thankful that one day all our good-byes and painful changes will be over. We will have a lasting home to share with all the other saints of God.
I am going to love life on earth as long as God leaves me here. I'm thankful, though, that on those days when the world is a sad and lonely place, I know a better home is waiting.
--Sherry Poff
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