Home

"Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule." ~Frederick W. Robertson

Home.

That little four letter word contains a universe of meaning.

My physical home for the last 26 years (New York, then Pennsylvania) has been a long way from the place where I was born and raised.(Texas) I have resisted feeling at home in exile all these years, and my desire to return "home" persists.

Why is that feeling of culture, experience, and memories so compelling? My dear husband speaks about a sense of place that is quickly disappearing among the youth in a very mobile culture. I doubt that the phrase, "always remember where you came from", has any current meaning. It did in previous generations. It summed up the type of character you possessed based on the culture that produced it.  And it does for me now as I long to return to my home, my culture some day. Yet, I know when I do, it will not be the same.  We will both have changed.

But there is an even greater pull on my heart, the call of Heaven.  The place where the Trinity dances in joy at the thought of my arrival. A place that does not change, for the unchanging God dwells there.  A place of righteousness.

There will be no tears, no sorrow, no infirmity, no loss, no injustice, no lies, no loneliness. My family of faith will all be there and it will be the best reunion ever. And there will be a wedding feast. Christ will finally embrace His spotless bride, the church. The celebration will last for eternity.  My soul will find rest.

Home.

It is in my heart's longing for Texas that I have found a small taste of my spirit's longing for Heaven, for Christ, for God.

My true home.

  ¹¹Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b]That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.2 Peter 3:11-13 (NIV