This past weekend Greg and I were at Stone Mountain near Atlanta for a time of golf, rest, and relaxing with friends. Greg played golf for 2 days and I spent a lot of time reading, writing and resting.
Our friends, Darryl and Janice and their 14 month old daughter, Caroline were part of the group. Poor Caroline was not having a good time. She was away from home and out of her normal routine. She was a vivid reminder to me of how we, as Christians, should be.
Janice told me that Caroline didn’t want to nap because everything in their room was new and needed to be explored. Then when it was time for bed, Caroline was still very restless and stimulated by all the newness of the room. Consequently, none of them slept very well. On Saturday morning, Janice said that Caroline was very fussy and was just not satisfied with anything. At her wits end, Janice decided to put Caroline in the car and just ride around to see if that would settle her down. Finally, rather than staying until Sunday, Janice decided to leave on Saturday evening and take Caroline back home where both of them would get a good night of rest.
How, you might ask, does this scenario remind me of how Christians should be? Good question. Caroline knew that she was not at home, even though the Evergreen hotel was extremely nice with a pool and all the fun things to do at Stone Mountain. The room looked different, the bed was different, the food was different, the people were all new and different. Caroline longed for home and the familiar.
As Christians, we should not settle into this world to the point of comfort and ease. We were not created for this world of sin and death. Yes, much of what we have on this earth is nice and comfortable and fun, but the fact is that we were not made to live on a fallen earth. We were created to live in perfection and holiness, yet when Adam and Even sinned, that was destroyed.
While we can have peace on this earth, if we are Christians, we truly are not settled and content here. In Hebrews 11, the writer talks about those from antiquity who died not having received the promise of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. In verses 14-16 he says:
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
Even the saints of old knew that something better awaited them, that this earth and this life was not all there was. So, when you feel that restlessness in your soul, remember that you were not made for this world. Do not fall for the lie that anything in this world can satisfy you, because it cannot. Nothing that the world has to offer can compare with what awaits us when we get to heaven. We are just passing through this world and there is a place prepared for us by the Lord Jesus Christ that is beyond description.
