Absence can make the heart grow fonder; it can also cause it to grow callous. Deployed soldiers know this well. Tours of duty seem forever. Years pass without seeing their loved ones. Letters and the occasional phone call are the best that they can hope for. Though technological advances have changed the scenario, they still haven't actually brought the loved one home. Sadly, for some, the longing for home turns sour when they receive a "Dear John" letter or email. Their loved one couldn't stand the loneliness any longer. Or another came along and wooed them away, giving them the immediate attention that they weren't getting from their loved one.

It's similar with the longing for our eternal home.

Ecclesiastes 3:11b – [God] has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. (NLT)

A perusal of world history, past and present, reveals the truth of the writer's conclusion. God has placed a longing for eternity in people's hearts. Rarely, if ever, could we locate a people group that didn't worship something. The recognition of a higher power is prevalent. God has planted this longing in our souls so that we will look beyond ourselves to Him.

While I enjoy this earth, I long for something better: my eternal home … a new heaven and a new earth. A place where I can actually see and fellowship with the Saviour who died for me. A place where I can meet all the saints who've gone before me. A place no longer limited through Bible study, prayer, and listening to the Spirit. A place where all the manifestations of evil will be removed. A place where purity will reign as it did when God first created the earth.

I've lived in places where I simply didn't feel at home. Neither should I presently on earth. I don't feel at home here because I don't belong here — at least not as it is in its current form. If I feel at home here, if I stop longing for what's ahead, I'll fall into the same trap that many spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends did. I'll begin looking for present things to satisfy me, but they can't. Only when I'm home will I be completely content.

Are you longing for home or living as if this is your home?

Prayer: Father, help us not to get too attached to the things of this world, remembering that it's not our final home. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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