There’s nothing quite like the force and incomprehensible joy of a six-year-old little body flinging themselves at you, knowing that you will catch them, and somehow being able to remain upright. If you’ve never experienced this, start training now. It’s not for the weak of legs or back.
Recently, I had the chance to visit my sister in Germany. If you have a family member or loved one who lives farther away than a quick drive across town, you know the joy of hugging them again. In fact, if you had asked me what I was most looking forward to at any point before that trip, I would have told you: hugging my sister. The joy of hugging my now six-year-old nephew, and the fact that he launched himself into me with complete confidence that I would catch him, was even sweeter.
Oftentimes, when I’ve gone on trips, the pace has been fast and hurried, and upon returning, I’ve felt as though I needed more time off just to recover from my time away. This trip was different. It was rejuvenating, restful, and thought-provoking.
Recently, I’ve been listening to Focus on the Family’s adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia. If you’ve never listened to it, you really should. In the final book, The Last Battle, the battle has been fought, all hope seems lost, and suddenly the friends find themselves in a country more real than the one they had known before. There, they are greeted by those they had known and loved.
Then comes one of Lewis’s most memorable lines:
“Further up and further in.”
More than that, they are welcomed by Aslan himself. The One they had followed, trusted, and longed for was there. The joy of seeing him face to face is greater than anything they had known before.
As they journey onward, they discover that this new country is not less real than the old one, but more real. Every chapter becomes better than the one before. Lewis writes that all their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and title page. They were finally beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, “which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
Perhaps those scenes resonated with me because I had just spent two weeks enjoying hugs and conversations with family I rarely get to see. There is something deeply joyful about reunion. Something that reminds us that separation will not have the final word.
Jesus comforted His disciples with these words:
“I go to prepare a place for you … and I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2–3).
Paul reminds believers that one day “we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
And John gives us the beautiful picture in Revelation 21 of God dwelling with His people and wiping away every tear from their eyes.
Scripture paints a picture not simply of clouds and harps, but of home. Of embraces and welcomes. Of sitting down at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Of saints from east and west gathered together. Yet the greatest joy of all is seeing our Savior face to face. Every other reunion is sweet because He is there.
Maybe that’s why reunions on this side of eternity feel so precious. They are small reminders of a greater homecoming to come.
Someday, there will be no oceans to cross, no airport goodbyes, and no counting down the days until the next visit. We will simply find ourselves, by God’s grace alone, welcomed home.
And perhaps that’s why the joy of a six-year-old hurling himself into your arms is so delightful. It is a small glimpse of something much bigger. A reminder that when the race is finished and faith becomes sight, we will not arrive as strangers. By grace, we will be welcomed home by the Savior who has loved us all along.
Further up and further in.
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