Tag Archives: Heaven

Where Do You Live?

Today, at A Holy Experience, we are writing about : The Practice of Citizenship: How You Live Here When Your Home is in Heaven.

A couple of days ago I read a blog about contentment. The author of the blog was talking about being in the “in between” times of life. The unsettled. The unsure. I know those times. Those are the times when I want more, but get less. I dream big and wake up to reality. The wandering in the wilderness kinds of times.

Even before reading this blog I had contentment on my mind. Evidently God wants me to keep thinking about this subject because He keeps putting things in my daily path that cause me to have to evaluate my contentment.

Pathway Between the Old and New Market

Ouch.

Sometimes God’s lessons aren’t easy for me to handle. I want what I want. I’ve got ideas. I’ve got lists. I’ve got “the dream”. I NEED these things on my list, in order to be content. After all, I deserve them. Right?!

I struggle.

I want life to be easier.

I want to understand.

I want security.

AND I pretty much prefer no big surprises.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love surprises if it happens to be my birthday or a special Christmas gift. Hmm…..or a weekend get away. Or an unexpected visit from family or friends. BUT, not hard, life surprises.

Like unexpected job loss. Heartache. Friends that hurt my feelings. A sick child. A loss of faith. Arguments. Frustrations. Mistakes. Surprises that, quite frankly, are no fun.

God calls me to be content in my circumstances. All of them. Not just the fun ones. I am to learn the secret of being content, no matter the circumstance. (Phil 4:11-12) It’s hard. I try. Sometimes I succeed. Other times I fail. Oh, how I fail. It’s a journey that I’m on…this journey of learning contentment. I wish I could say I have this particular thing under control…but, I’m being honest. I don’t……and so there are lots of bumps on this rocky road I’m traveling and many times I fall down.

The truth is I don’t have everything I want in life, but I do have everything I need. For today. For this minute.

God is good like that.

I believe we, as human beings, go through periods of  the “in between”.  It keeps us grounded and focused.

For me this isn’t home. I’m just a pilgrim on a journey, through a land of discontentment. A land that I am just passing through. I’ll admit that it is difficult. When I take my focus off of God I become discontent…stuck…and shackled to the negative. BUT, if I look to my Heavenly Father, I can see a glimpse of HOME.

He allows a glimmer of what it will be like. Home. A place where contentment will be real, not just the fleeting shadow of what I strive to achieve here on Earth. I will be fully content, because I will be with Him.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  ( 1 Corinthians 13:12) 

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From my blog archives, first posted on May 15, 2010

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Ready To Begin

New year light

Yesterday was the long drive back home. My family and I spent this past week visiting with relatives that live in another state. It was heartwarming, fun, and memories were made. Today will be the business of getting back into a routine, unpacking a weeks worth of clothes and starting laundry. I’ve already begun to think about this coming weekend and the beginning of a new year. These few days of the old, always seems to hold such promise. What will the new year bring? Excitement? Personal gain? Love?  New friendships? Sadness? Tragedy? One just never knows. For me, the new year always holds excitement mixed with a little apprehension. It’s the not knowing that makes me pause.

I’m not much into New Years resolutions. I think they cause too much pressure. I’m the type to write goals out on a daily and weekly basis anyway.

I don’t require a big hooplah over resolutions. More than that, I think back on the year. What has happened? How did I react? Am I happy with the part I played in 2011? Would I like to make some changes? What worked and more importantly what didn’t?

This year I’ve learned the art of being thankful. I’m still learning…and, I suppose I will continue to learn the lessons of thankfulness until I take my last breath on this side of Heaven. One would think being thankful would be easier considering how much there is to be thankful for. Why is it that most of the time we see the holes in our lives, the less than, the lacking, the unfortunate….and we concentrate on those things? Why not focus on all that is good in life? Really, there is so very much. Thankfulness continues to be my goal as I begin a new year…not as a resolution that will fade from existence by the first of February…but, a resolve to see all the ways that I am blessed.

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Home Is Where The Heart Is

This image shows the twilight just after sunse...

Image via Wikipedia

Take me home, Tuesday. That is what I started calling my Tuesday posts. All things home…..

I “met” a young woman, named Sara through the blog world. She was one of the writers at (in) Courage.

Sara is dying from a disease that robbed her of most things that we, the healthy, take for granted. She doesn’t have much time left here.

She is going home.

Home is where Sara’s heart is.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21  NIV

All of her posts, in the years that she was fighting debilitating disease, pointed others to Jesus.

She understood that she was in this world, but not made for this world.

She didn’t take anything that she had for granted. She realized it was all a gift.

As she grew weaker in her physical body, she grew stronger is spirit…

knowing that she would soon be going home.

A pilgrim on a journey.

A journey that leads straight to Jesus.

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I am including a post that Sara wrote this past May, right around the time of her birthday.

It was Sara’s desire that all would know Him.

Won’t you allow her written words to resonate in your heart?

 

 

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The Road That Leads Home

 

Home Driveway

 

I live down a country road.

There is not much traffic on the road. It is fairly quiet, most of the time.

After a short jaunt, or a long trip, it is always nice to see the road that leads to home.

Knowing I’m almost there…

 

This day I am reminded of another road that leads home.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 NIV

I am just a pilgrim on a journey.

On the road.

On my way home.

 

 

 

 

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