This morning I had a lovely exchange of notes online with my 21 year old granddaughter who just returned home from 2 months as part of a tour/course in Europe, e.g. Italy, France, Switzerland, and more. This was based upon her college major and with a group of students from her university who are in the same study program. We hope to get together when she'll share more; but I so enjoyed the many photos she shared online during her time abroad. She really got to see many historical and beautiful sights in the old world so to speak. Culture, architecture, art, recreation, etc. Very much a tour of that significant part of our world.
But all in all as she was in a different world there remains the old adage that there is just "no place like home." And so, at 21, she learns this as most of us have even though we may not have gone to Europe to learn it. Life teaches us that there really is just "no place like home." But...
Reflecting on this I am thinking..this is not really our world anymore than Europe was hers even though we call it home. In other words it is not our "lasting" home. Our home is somewhere else..beyond this "human" world we now inhabit. Our home is a spiritual place for we are spiritual beings who are also human. We may get glimpses and tastes of it yet we yearn deep within for our spiritual home. As the early church Father, Augustine of Hippo, put it so long ago, " You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless, Lord, until they rest in Thee."
And, as we read the last chapters in the Book of Revelation we learn that someday for us there will be a "new heavens" and "a new earth." Someday this earth or this world will be ours for keeps and we will be with Our God. Home for good in our earth renewed.
Then I saw a new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying of pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4)
But all in all as she was in a different world there remains the old adage that there is just "no place like home." And so, at 21, she learns this as most of us have even though we may not have gone to Europe to learn it. Life teaches us that there really is just "no place like home." But...
Reflecting on this I am thinking..this is not really our world anymore than Europe was hers even though we call it home. In other words it is not our "lasting" home. Our home is somewhere else..beyond this "human" world we now inhabit. Our home is a spiritual place for we are spiritual beings who are also human. We may get glimpses and tastes of it yet we yearn deep within for our spiritual home. As the early church Father, Augustine of Hippo, put it so long ago, " You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless, Lord, until they rest in Thee."
And, as we read the last chapters in the Book of Revelation we learn that someday for us there will be a "new heavens" and "a new earth." Someday this earth or this world will be ours for keeps and we will be with Our God. Home for good in our earth renewed.
Then I saw a new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying of pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:1-4)
