The boxes are everywhere. As the moving day has approached, the stacks have gotten taller. The piles represent different rooms, and they are labeled as well. All of this is in anticipation of moving into our next house. One without stairs. One that is more suited to the age we are, as well as the age we’ll be before we know it. The fact is that my wife and I aren’t getting any younger. Even though retirement is still a ways off, we see this as more of a retirement home—less maintenance, less yard, less work all the way around.
Since making our home in Missouri, we have lived in three houses. The first was on Washington Street, where we lived for twelve weeks. It may have been a short time, but it sure helped us become familiar with the area, and my oldest daughter developed a lifelong friendship with the girl who lived on the corner. We, as parents, have remained friends as well. Our next one, five minutes north, was on Liberty Street. It was home for twelve years. Wow, a lot of life took place there. Our family grew up there—from five people to seven, with three of them celebrating high school graduation while living there. Timely connections were made, and more lifelong friendships were developed.
Next, we moved ten minutes north to Prairie Meadow. Another twelve years have passed. More graduation parties. More timely connections. More friendships developed. And this house became Nana House and Papa House. This is the only place our grandkids have known. But now the boxes are packed and ready for yet another short twelve-minute move east to Jonathan Street in Carthage. We assured the grandkids that many new grand adventures await them when they come to our new home.
As much as we’ve loved all of the homes we’ve lived in, they all have something in common. They are all temporary.
But the good news is there is an eternal dwelling prepared for us. Shortly before Jesus went to the cross, He encouraged his disciples with these words in John 14:1-4,
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
How does this passage make you feel? Would you describe it as excitement, anticipation, and wonder?
But there is even more good news: Even though we are not in our heavenly home, we are already citizens of our heavenly kingdom, and we can live daily in our King’s presence.
Ephesians 2:19 puts it like this, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,” And Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,”
So, fellow citizens, with our eyes on the eternal, let’s draw near to our King, and I believe He’ll have us packed and ready for our eternity together.
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