Home, sweet home!

There is a well-known English-language saying that "East, west, home's best!", and another that claims that "There's no place like home". I was reminded of both on Monday evening. My wife and I had just spent three days in the city of Poitiers (best-known, to some, as the home of "Futuroscope"), sharing in the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of a predominantly Malagas (from Madagascar) fellowship with which we have had contact for more than three years. 

We left our home, in Gardonne, on Friday afternoon, and didn't return until Monday evening. In between we had some wonderful times of worship; renewed friendships; made new friends; had a lot of fun; and a lot of food! On Saturday, we celebrated the anniversary of the fellowship, and on Sunday, the birthday anniversary of the pastor's daughter. We slept in two different homes, and I drove some 650 kms (about 400 miles). We are very grateful to our hosts, who showed the reality of the gift of hospitality, as they put themselves out for our comfort, and that of others.

However, in spite of all of that, it was good to be in the familiar surroundings of our own home, and we were glad to be in our own bed on Monday evening. "East, west, home's best!"; "There's no place like home."

As I lay in my bed, my mind went back to the old song, sung by the late Jim Reeves: "This world is not my home", and written by that prolific author and songwriter, A.N.Onymous!

"This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through,
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore."

I also thought of the words of the Lord Jesus: "In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also." (Jn.14:2-3) 

Now, I don't wish to press the analogy too far, but I realised that, for the disciple of Jesus, not only is this world not our real home, but that however wonderful life may be for us as individuals - or however difficult it may be! - "home", our real home, will be far, far better. Indeed, it will be so much better than anything that we can even begin to imagine with our finite, mortal minds. 

Beatle John Lennon wrote a song which was titled "Imagine". You can read the lyrics here:

(https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/3403160/john+lennon/imagine). 

It invited us to imagine a world that he, presumably, thought would be as close to perfect as is possible! However, because he was, himself, a finite mortal, he could not even begin to paint a word-picture of what the new heaven and the new earth will be like. Interestingly, for someone who appears to have adopted Hinduism, his vision had "no religion". Of course, what most mortals understand as "religion" is a far cry from a realistic relationship with the very Creator, and Lord, of life.

So try to imagine a world without sin; a world without sickness; a world without death. Try to imagine a world of perfect peace and harmony. Try to imagine a world that is so pure that Almighty God Himself will be able to walk with His redeemed people (see Rev. 21:3). Try to imagine a world in which all will be truly equal. Try to imagine the most wonderful, beautiful, delightful existence you can. After all of that imagining, you are not even beginning to touch what the reality will be.

For the disciple of Jesus, there is definitely no place like the true home to which (s)he is heading. It is best - by a trillion, trillion "country miles". Is that your destination? It can be!