This World is Not My Home

I’ve been thinking about this post for a few weeks now – I’m finally going to sit down and put it into words.  The subject matter may seem morbid to some; I’m going to talk about the mortality of human beings.  But I hope that you will read to the end and will discover that Christians have no need to think about death as being morbid.

I remember when I first started thinking about my own mortality.  I was 34 years old and was in the couple months’ waiting period between the possibility of cancer and an actual diagnosis.  While waiting, I had plenty of time to think about what the future would hold – not only for me but for my husband and our two sons, a grade-schooler and a preschooler.  You see, before diagnosis, there is no prognosis; so I literally didn’t know at that point in time whether I was dying soon or would be able to live a longer life, continuing to raise my children and sharing life with my husband and them for years to come.  I began to think about things like planning my memorial service and writing letters for my children to read on special occasions like graduations, weddings, etc.  After all, there was no guarantee that I would still be here for those events.  Fortunately, while my diagnosis was indeed cancer, my prognosis was very good – and I am still here over 25 years later!  But it made me face some hard issues early in life, and I grew as a result.

Why am I thinking about this subject today?  A couple weeks ago I attended a memorial service for someone younger than me whose battle with cancer didn’t end the same as mine.  Less than a year ago there was another service for another younger friend.  The chronic health issues my husband and I have offer more of an uncertain future for us than for many our age.  And my group of junior high/high school friends who get together for lunch annually are all reaching an age milestone this year.  Without identifying a number, let’s just say that we are entering the decade where words like retirement, social security, and Medicare begin to take on personal meaning!  

But as much as we Americans like to imagine that we can control and plan for the end of our lives, the truth is that we have no control whatsoever (Psalm 139:16).  There are no guarantees in life.  Most of those who have a hefty retirement plan will also leave a hefty amount of that money to those who come after them.  That doesn’t mean that it’s wrong to plan for the future; but Jesus seems to make it clear in his Sermon on the Mount that we are not to store up treasures here on earth or worry about how we’re going to get food or clothing (Matthew 6:19-21 & 25-32).  “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). 

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived (1 Kings 3:12), had trouble understanding what he called “the futility of this life”.  If our plans for ourselves can’t guarantee the desired outcome, then what’s the point?  But, in Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon discovered an important truth: God has put eternity into our hearts.  In other words, this world and the lives we live on earth are neither the end nor the point.  We were created by God for a life of relationship with him that will last forever.  As the old song says,

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 don’t know about you, but I am encouraged when I remember that, no matter how wonderful, rewarding, joyful, or fulfilling my life on earth is or has been, it pales in light of eternity.  This truth also encourages me when my life is difficult, sad, or not what I planned or hoped for.  Both aspects of life – positive and negative – happen to everyone over the course of a lifetime.  Focusing on eternal things instead of earthly things can make all the difference in our attitudes and the success of how we live our lives.  Eternal focus brings eternal success and eternal rewards – even if our lives don’t look like those around us and defy human or cultural expectations.  We’re not supposed to “feel at home” in this world!  According to Solomon, the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep his commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  Both life and end-of-life issues become much simpler when our focus remains on loving and pleasing God first and foremost.  He will take care of everything else.

   

Passing the Torch of Truth

Thanks to the way social media operates, I was recently privy to a conversation between two millennials that had nothing directly to do with me.  But as I read their words that conveyed deep angst with the organized American church and how it had played out practically in their lives, I was saddened once again by the hold that the enemy has on our culture and reminded of the incredible responsibility that parents and grandparents have in this time in history.

It has never been easy or simple to pass Biblical values on to the next generation.  All you have to do is read the New Testament letters to various churches in order to discover that, as Jesus told his followers, the “narrow path” of following God isn’t chosen by most people (Matthew 7:13-14).  Sin is alluring, and fitting in with everyone else is appealing.  Getting our children to understand and “buy in” to the concept of standing alone and being different is difficult at best. 

When you add to our human nature the fact that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), the task of training our children to recognize his work and to choose to run away from evil seems almost impossible.  In the case of my two millennials, their backgrounds were solid, truth-conveying families; and their parents were well-meaning God-followers.  But, somewhere along the line, these young ladies became convinced that their parents’ intentions and motivations were wrong; and they bought into the cultural rhetoric that made their lives easier.

There are no guarantees when raising children.  Besides the work of the enemy against Christian parents, all of us are imperfect human beings.  No matter how diligent we are, we fall short of God’s standard somewhere along the line.  But that doesn’t mean the task of raising godly children is impossible.  Because, with God, anything is possible (Matthew 19:26).

At the risk of sounding preachy, here are a few things God has taught me as a parent:

• Deuteronomy 6:4-9 makes it clear that parents have to be “all in” if they want their kids to be; training the next generation to believe what you believe means showing them every single day in every single situation how God’s truth applies and matters    
• Teaching our children to follow our rules makes them look good to others but is useless for their hearts; teaching them to obey God trains their hearts to follow him as adults (2 Corinthians 3:6)  
• Life is all about choices; children need to learn at home (where it’s still safe to make mistakes) how to make choices and discern between good things and God’s best  
• You can’t teach what you don’t know; the best gift parents can give to their children is their increasing knowledge of God and his character;  if our children understand who God truly is, they will understand why the narrow path makes sense and be better able to avoid the wide and attractive path their peers have chosen  
• No matter how diligent you are in your parenting, you cannot control what the enemy will do to counteract your efforts; while your child’s response to the enemy’s work will be positively influenced by your diligence, there may still be lasting negative effects on your child’s walk with God; consistent prayer for your children, both as little ones and adults, is both a privilege and a necessity for their continued godliness

 
I am praying for the two millennials who publicized their thoughts, because somewhere along the way the message of truth got lost in their experiences.  But I am encouraged when I remember that God relentlessly pursues us and never gives up on us.  These two young ladies are not out of God’s view or his reach – regardless of how far they push him away.  As God told his people Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, his love is an everlasting love and his faithfulness continues (Jeremiah 31:3).  By his grace, these words are still true for us today.

Wide Awake to God's Work

Christmas lasted longer than usual for us this year.  With an early Thanksgiving, the Christmas decorations started going up more than a month before December 25^th.  And the celebrations began in mid-December when I left to spend two weeks in California with one of my sons and his family and continued with two more family celebrations after returning home this month.  We finally got everything packed up and put away this weekend!

Now I am focused on New Year’s things like compiling Christmas photos and videos, preparing to lead a new women’s Bible study, and looking ahead to vacation planning.  But for just a minute I want to look back and focus on something my new Bible study has reminded me of: the importance of being awake to the nearness of God in every moment of our lives.

This is something we stressed when we were raising our kids.  We had a “Thanksgiving bowl” that sat in our kitchen year-round that was filled with slips of paper highlighting specific moments throughout the year when we were thankful for God’s provision, protection, or presence.  Reading through the papers on Thanksgiving morning reminded us of God’s nearness and love for us long after we had forgotten specific incidents that happened earlier in the year.

But it’s been a few years since we have had children at home to teach, and so we have stopped this holiday tradition.  I continue to notice God in the small things, but probably not as intentionally as when I was raising my children.  Life has a way of overshadowing God-thoughts if we don’t make an effort to be deliberate about our focus. 

So here are some of my experiences over the past month that remind me that God is always near and cares deeply for me:

• the beauty of the many lights of the season – a gift from the God who spoke “Let there be light”
• the harmony of beautiful music that touches our souls 
• the splendor of watching a sunrise from an airplane window
• the pleasure of choosing special gifts to give to those we love
• the delight in my new foster grandchild’s face as the world is discovered moment by moment
• the magnificence of each different type of weather and the creativity of God in each
• the warmth of a hug from my child or grandchild
• the gift of rest and a change of schedule
• the deliciousness of special holiday foods and goodies
• the meaningful experience of sharing memories from old pictures with those we love
• the joy of my grandchild’s laughter
• the miracle of God’s provision for my child’s unforeseen financial need 
• the privilege of making new memories with those we love

As I start a new year, I want to be constantly tuned into the nearness of God in my everyday life.  He is intimately involved in all of the details, and I want to make sure that I am paying attention.   James 1:17 tells us that everything good is a gift from God to us – whether we acknowledge it or not.  I want to be intentional about noticing God’s nearness and acknowledging his gifts throughout the year.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!