Homesick for Heaven

Homesick for Heaven



Have you ever been away from home long enough that you became homesick? This happened to me my freshman year at Howard Payne University. When my family drove up with me to help me move in the dorms at the start of two a day football practices and drove off, I felt very alone. I did not know one single person on that football team nor any of the coaches other than the head coach. I was just one of a hundred people going out for the team. Those were forlorn days.
The practices were grueling but the nights were far worse. I would sit in my dorm room staring at the ceiling thinking about home. I missed my mom’s home made biscuits for breakfast and feasts for dinner. I missed my bed, waking up every morning to the familiar and secure setting of our family home located on 410 Cunningham in the Englewood Terrace subdivision in Lufkin, TX. We lived in that house from the time I was fourth grade until I went off to college. I played football in the yard, climbed trees in out front, raked mountains of pine straw piles and then climbed on top of the roof to jump in the middle of them. I rode bikes all over the streets of that subdivision and ran many miles in preparation for football practice. 410 Cunningham was home and sitting in my room in Taylor Hall on the HPU campus four and half hours from there made me melancholy. All I had was God and my Bible to comfort me during those lonely days.
When I go back to Lufkin from time to time, I often make my way to Cunningham Street and drive slowly by the house at 410. It has been remodeled and updated. I often wonder who lives there and if they are developing memories like I have of that place. I sit and stare at the window that was bedroom for all those years. I rewind the memories in my mind of playing catch with a football or baseball with my brother, cousins, and friends. I am no longer homesick for that place. My home is in Paradise and in Paradise I delight to be but the truth is even Paradise is neither my permanent home nor yours. We are simply marking time here. Eternity looms ahead for some closer than others.
I visited with a prized soul yesterday and our conversation turned toward heaven. This saint has lived more years down here nearly than I have been alive all together. The perspective of this seasoned saint inspired this article. This beloved of the Lord daily becomes more homesick for Heaven. It was a refreshing reminder to me that all of these things we think are so important are honestly temporary. How I pray the Lord would help us to number our days. [Ps 90:12] So teach us to number our days that we might present to you a heart of wisdom. While we are seeking to make each day count here, I pray there would surface in our souls a yearning and homesickness for eternity. I am not talking about going to heaven, sitting on a cloud all day, and playing a harp, while singing in a choir forever and ever. That seems rather boring to me. When I read about the real heaven I do grow a little homesick for it. I yearn to leave the trials, the pains, the sorrows, the sickness, disease, burdens, death, and sin of this world in my rearview mirror. I long to gather with the great multitude no man can number from every tribe, kindred, and nation and kneel before the throne of the Lamb of God and worship! [Rev 7:9-10]
I just stopped writing for a moment and began looking through my library to search for a book about heaven. I thumbed through several books and found very little about heaven. I finally came across an old book written by Billy Graham entitled Facing Death and the Life Hereafter. Toward the end of the book he writes; “Will heaven really offer such wonderful benefits that the recruit can’t wait to get started? Vance Havner, who was one of the most quotable pulpiteers of our time, said, ‘I’m homesick for heaven. It’s the hope of dying that has kept me alive this long.’ Heaven is a wonderful place and the benefits for the believer are out of this world.”
If you are increasingly feeling out of place and out of step in this world, it’s alright to be homesick for heaven. We will soon be home praising God the great I AM. While we are here there is still much work to be done but it won’t hurt to think about our eternal home while we labor. And when our appointed time comes, may we say with Paul, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” [Phil 1:21]