The saying ‘there’s no place like home’ reminds us of the human need to feel settled, to have a place which they can call their own. Home will mean something different to different people, but for most, it is a place where you feel comfortable and can relax, where you can be yourself without pretence. Some people stay in one home for a long time; others like to move around. Heb 11:8-10, 16 reminds us that ‘here’ is only transitory, that there is a heavenly home that awaits us.
Despite everything, the homes that we make here on earth are all affected by sin (Eph 2:1-5). If we are not following Christ, then we are living a disconnected life, but for Christians, there is a distinct sense that we do not fully belong on earth, that we are ‘at odds’ in many respects. Nonetheless, we are promised a home as we are brought into the kingdom of God’s Son (see Col 1:12-14). We are accepted by God (Rom 15:7) and are no longer strangers and foreigners (Eph 2:18-20). God loves us, accepts us and has promised us a home with Him. (John 14:1-3)
For the Christian, there is no lasting home on earth, and no matter how good it seems, ‘here’ is a pale imitation of God has in store. We will never be truly at peace and rest until we find that peace, rest, acceptnce and love in our heavenly Father – that’s a real home.
