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Listen while you read: "Eternal Father Strong To Save"1
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When I was two years old, we emigrated from England to Canada. Over the years, I have made numerous trips back to England both as a child and as an adult. My most recent trip was in May 2024, in which I took the ashes of both my parents back to the Garden of Remembrance in Failsworth, England. Before we emigrated to Canada, my father worked on the making of that garden, which made it even more compelling to take their ashes back.
During the three days that I spent there, I experienced many different emotions. I saw the house in which we lived before we came to Canada. I also went back to the area where my grandparents lived. Standing there, I could see in my mind's eye the memories of the past. I walked the street from their home to the corner shops and noted that everything seemed much closer than I remembered. I even bought two roses from a florist there.
I can now look back and see the hand of God in the people that I came across, from the flight attendant who assisted me in a difficult time, to the hotel staff who helped me when the airline lost my luggage, to the bus drivers and numerous people who directed me to the right buses, right down to the lady in the flower shop with whom I shared my heart. It was as if God were loving me through them.
I felt such a strong emotional pull towards my old home and people whom I did not even know, and I cannot explain it even now. Often, as my heart was experiencing the love of these wonderful people, the hardest emotion that I had to work through was grief. I could not shake the feeling, "What if we hadn't left?" I asked myself, "Why did we leave?" though I knew why, as my parents often spoke of the sacrifice that they had made for me and my brother in leaving their home and family in their native land to give us a better chance in life.
As I have processed my thoughts, I have felt the love of Jesus through these days. Out of love for us and to give us a better life, He was willing to leave His home in glory to come to earth and offer His life as a sacrifice for the sins of humankind. Although I may think of my earthly home being in England, I find comfort knowing that my real spiritual home is in Jesus.
Philippians 3:20 – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)
Let us rejoice and thank Him for that!
Prayer: Dear Jesus, oh, what a day it will be when we are reunited with You in our heavenly home! Until then, help us to show people Who You are and lead them to the rich treasure that awaits them in heaven. In Your name, we pray. Amen.
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About the author:
Julie Bowles <julieanni@rogers.com>
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Send your feedback to the author
Beautiful story, Julie.
Beautiful analogy. Thank you.
Thank you for your beautiful comparison.
Thank you for writing Julie. That really touched my heart.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us today. To God be the glory!
Thank you, Julie, for sharing your life story and how it compares to Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
Julie – wonderful message. Thank you for your great beginning to my day. God Bless your continued writing.
So beautifully written with so much emotional caring.
Reminds me of how much my parents sacrificed to give me an education.
Shalom.
Very heart touching story of your time back at your first home Julie. It will be a very great day when we are taken to our “ever” home with our loving Lord. Blessings for your writing today.
Dear Julie,
Thank you so much for your inspiring, interesting, beautifully written message. It is a blessing to me!
Blessings, Joy, Gratitude, Laughter.
Julie, you wrote a truly touching story of revisiting the past and thinking about the journey from there to now. Retracing your past showed you a story of your parent’s love when you didn’t understand then. I often think of that too. Today God leads us in ways we don’t always understand to bring us into a later realization of His love. Thank you for telling your story so well.
We haven’t traveled much. Had kids instead. But coming up to our 50th wedding anniversary he had his dream coach tour of Scotland and mine was Ireland.
Great grandpa came from northern Ireland with six boys and he set them up on farms. The farms all got “drunk” away.
I felt the love too as we toured. I was at home and wanted to stay.
Thank you for your wonderful devotional. Excellent writing.
Hi Julie,
You touched a chord in my heart which made me feel sadness and happiness at the same time. When I was two years old my family moved from our “home” to another part of Canada. The memory of our “home” has gradually faded over the years, but the feeling of “home” remains. Thank you for the reminder and the revival of so many good memories. God is good!
God bless.
Good morning, Julie!
Your message today was heartfelt. I am so sorry to hear about your loss. You fulfilled your promise to return your much-loved parents to England. It is also lovely to hear about all the wonderful folks God placed in your path along the way who were there to help and support you through the different obstacles you faced. You were definitely not alone on that journey.
Blessings!
Hi Julie,
Your devotional today took me to google maps, and a journey I took with my late brother many years ago, to connect with relatives I’d never met before in the UK, going from my Dad’s hometown Glasgow, into England and back into Scotland, where I met a Canadian-born Elder in Mom’s home congregation; I’ve met that Elder’s family in Ontario as well!
I’m watching travel videos from the UK on you-tube, so communities like Failsworth pop up all the time!
Thanks again for sharing your experiences, as many of us start our day.
A heartwarming story with a great message. You are a good daughter.
(Manitoba)