Home, Never Here

The other day when I dropped Dean off at his assisted living center after a doctor's appointment, I inadvertently referred to The Waterford as his "home". He reminded me that it was not his home, and I had no choice but to agree with him. At best, it's just the place where he's staying right now.

From the very beginning though, I have made every effort to make it seem comfortable and like home to him there. I've brought him the books and magazines he enjoys, the toiletries he's most fond of, and finally hung some pictures on the wall this week. I even brought him the bedspread and pillows off our queen-size bed so it all feels and looks more familiar to him.

But he's evidently not ready to call it home yet. Then I recalled that he doesn't even consider Nebraska his home, after living here for seventeen years. So maybe he has a point. Montana and the Northwest, his birthplace, will always be his true home.

As men and women of the Lord, we will never feel at home in this old world of sin either. God created us in the beginning and placed us in the Garden of Eden, a paradise home that far exceeds anything this planet has to offer.

We can only recreate a small version of our heavenly home here on earth. That's why the song tells us, "This world is not my home, I'm just passing through." We want to be content with what we have, but never be too content. Because there's so much more waiting for us in that land beyond.