I really appreciate the JL's, story she shared with her girls. I love the idea that we are practicing on this earth so the we know the ropes! Focusing on practicing the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control helps put a new perspective of why we want to do these things beyond the conviction! There is a homecoming purpose. The idea of being welcomed by family members who have gone before me. This is a beautiful reality.
This bit about "home" can get complicated. For the first six weeks of my life, my name was Michael Retallick, my mother an unmarried 19 year old coed at Miami University. And then I was adopted and renamed Arthur Going. From a family with deep Cornish roots in England to a descendant family of German immigrants. One city (Cincinnati) until I was 18, and then a succession of places, including ten moves in ministry. Let's just say it has not been a Wendell Berry life! But one day my wife said to me, when I was lamenting what all the moves had meant, "Home is where you are." Add to that our deeper conviction that we are called to abide--to make our home--in Jesus and the perspective changes. And then to live, wherever we are, with a longing for the heavenly City... did I say complicated at the beginning? How about rich and wondrous?
I just said something like this in a comment--home is where Jesus is and Jesus is Emmanuel. So when we abide in Him we are always home. And also, every moment until He comes again, we're away. Rich and wondrous. Layered like sediment. Or a cake. :)
I think spending concentrated time considering what heaven will be like helps to cultivate a longing for home. Considering what it will be like, who will be there, what will not be there, etc. And making those things personal - not just that there won’t be sickness but that your specific family member will be made whole and how that feels. Additionally, I think the more you experience life on this earth the more thankful you are that this world is not our home.
Yes, practicing for the best home is my task here. I loved the story told to your children as well.
I cannot quite fathom someone not setting their heart on heaven. It is certainly easier for me to do now as I age. I have a pre- paid funeral plan! I know I will be leaving here one day and I want to live for Jesus. That is the best preparation.
I did have an opportunity to share that love for God with a wayward family member. I think what I said that mattered to him was the love that I and God have for him. He needed to know that above all.
Holding our citizenship in heaven in tension with our assignment to bring the kingdom of God to earth is tricky. I totally understand where you are coming from Bethany. Where I am from (Northern Ireland) we have a rich tradition of fundamentalist! Which means a lot of people were raised with the idea that all they needed was an entry ticket to heaven and then they were all set. Now heaven is guaranteed we can just get on with being completely bigoted to out neighbours!
What i want to focus on is living with hope for the future redemption of the earth but also firmly grounded in the reality that we are placed where we are for a purpose. Not just to wait for our time to be up to get taken away but to live like this place is heaven on earth.
This isn’t about the prompt but everything to do with faith and heaven. My best friend is losing a dear friend of hers, the one who introduced her to Christ. She is only 45 and is suffering from aggressive lung cancer that has now spread to her brain. She has to have surgery tomorrow and they aren’t sure she will make it through. To complicate matters, she has a young daughter with Down syndrome. She is the main advocate and caretaker for this sweet girl. Would you all mind to pray for Amber? We know God can work miracles and he can also work miracles in the lives of others through heartache and loss. This is a trial of epic proportions for some and a faith maker or breaker. Prayers that God is ultimately glorified in this and that everyone who loves her feels his peace would be greatly appreciated.
She won’t be able to have the surgery because she has declined too much. They don’t think she will make it through the day. But it sounds like she is comfortable and just sleeping. She’s at peace.
"It will feel silly sometimes, like you’re pretending. But you’re not. You’re practicing."
I'm loving that.
And what came before is similar to the Jeremiah passage - it's the temporary putting down roots, which brings good things and gives us the people to love and practice with and give a cup of cold water to.
Thinking of the Atomic Habits guy - when we decide we want to be someone who fits into our coming REAL home, we will be thinking of things to do, ways to act that take us toward being that person.
Also...in Colossians 3, from NLT: 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. "real life"
I have a lot of fears wrapped up in the concept of eternity, so sometimes I can actively push away thoughts of heaven.
I was in a car accident when I was twelve that resulted in the death of my cousin, who was one of my closest friends. And ever since, i find myself not feeling comforted by heaven? I don’t know where my wires got crossed here.
I think one small practical thing I can do is ask God to help me not be afraid to think about it, to heal the hesitation I feel, and to open my heart to the citizenship he desires for me.
I think first she should admit to God in prayer and share with her circle of accountability. Ask God in prayer to cultivate this desire in her and then practically seek ways to fan the flame that God will light. We cultivate a sense of home by engaging with its builder and citizens.
Hoo boy. This brings up a lot of tension in me, to be honest. Probably because most people who modeled this to me in my formative years weren’t happy or full of joy - they were so fixated on getting out of Dodge and through the pearly gates that the days they spent here on Earth were bitter, resentful, and angry. I worry that identifying too much with my citizenship in heaven will only make me more like them, more restless and dissatisfied here on earth…and more coldly dismissive of the pain and suffering people share with me. I don’t want to respond the way I’ve been responded to, that I just shouldn’t worry about my grief or my sorrow because heaven’s coming, after all. This also gets complicated as someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts from time to time. It seems counter-intuitive to satiate my appetite for heaven, but then have to submit myself to life on earth.
Crazy? (Likely.) I’d welcome a shift in perspective on this.
All of this makes sense, and I don't have easy answers. Things I know:
-Becoming more fully a citizen of Heaven makes me a better citizen here.
-Thinking about Heaven opens my eyes to injustice here and reminds me injustice isn't an eternal thing and should be overthrown.
-Thinking about Heaven opens my eyes to Heaven-things all around me and makes more room for joy.
-Thinking about Heaven puts a timer on the game so I act with intention here.
-Thinking about Heaven lightens the load here. It's still a load and still ought to be carried. But it's not so heavy.
((I've been planning this trip I'm on to meet up with London for like four months now. The coming trip and anticipation didn't cause me to waste the four months I waited or even to disengage. The anticipation of seeing her made the wait easier AND it made me more productive because I knew I needed to get things done so I could take time to see her. Maybe it's something like that.))
I go down this road too sometimes. Something that shifts my perspective is reframing “I’m not from here this isn’t really my home” to “I am a guest here”. What kind of guest do I want to be? What kind of guest do I love to have? I love when guests jump in to my daily life, hang with my kids, meet my neighbors, help with dinner. I don’t love when a guest comes and talks about how they could never live here, this town is weird, their home is better than mine (even if all of that is true).
I am behind, too, but today was so good for me! Jennifer, thank you for sharing the beautiful story you told your girls. Sometimes I have so many regrets of not being a better mother in the spiritual sense. When my children were little I was struggling with doing enough, being good enough, following all the rules!!! Honestly, I still struggle with that, but I have learned so much about grace that I didn’t know about when I was younger. That makes me sad, when I think about how I could have been a better mother in the spiritual sense. I am old enough to be your mother, Jennifer, and yet you have and continue to teach me so much!
(Full disclosure here - I am behind. But for a good reason 😉. Cason, my son, came home for a couple of days and we had our Christmas and he and I (😏) spent almost 2 days in the shop as he replaced the brakes on the other back wheel. (“We” did the other side before Christmas). This is precious time for me, plus for safety reasons - with the vehicle up on jacks, I don’t leave him alone. ❤️
My husband and his siblings were “third culture kids”, children of missionaries, some born here in the US and some born in the mission field in a foreign country. They have all struggled with the idea of “home”, where did I come from and where do I belong? They all have settled that by choosing a home. Whether it was Mexico, where they were born, or where they went to high school, “home” was different for all of them. To them, it meant “where do I come from, what is my history?” Where they are all going, though, is not hard to define. So, I guess maybe where we wander and call home can vary and change, as long as our idea of where we want to be the final place of belonging is heaven.
To me, home feels like home because it is comfortable - good food, laughter, deep connection and honest conversation in a familiar environment. When Heaven doesn't feel like home, I need to spend more time getting to know the people who live there.
And as JL so wisely pointed out to me yesterday, "We know Jesus. We know the Father. We dwell with the Spirit. And they are what Heaven will be like."
I loved the story you shared with your girls about heaven. Most of my life, my thoughts of heaven were more geared toward who I would see (loved ones). In the last couple of years, I’ve tried to shift that focus more towards God. He’s who I want to see and want to worship. He is worthy of all my praise.
I love the prayers in these studies. This study has been very introspective for me.
I’ve been trying to process this - the best I can come up with right now is where I feel comfort or rest. I’ve lived in a variety of places and have called many places home, even to the point where “coming back home” is disorienting and no longer home.
I think the Spirit has been helping me realize that I’ve been finding my comfort in good things like a small group at church, BUT also allowing disruption there because, while it is similar to New Home (playing off of New Creation), it ISN’T fully that yet (not at all trying to downplay the need for spiritual community either!). I’ve been recognizing that my comfort can only be realized in Yahweh alone and will only be fully realized when all things are made new. The whole “now and not yet” thing I guess.
I really appreciate the JL's, story she shared with her girls. I love the idea that we are practicing on this earth so the we know the ropes! Focusing on practicing the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control helps put a new perspective of why we want to do these things beyond the conviction! There is a homecoming purpose. The idea of being welcomed by family members who have gone before me. This is a beautiful reality.
This bit about "home" can get complicated. For the first six weeks of my life, my name was Michael Retallick, my mother an unmarried 19 year old coed at Miami University. And then I was adopted and renamed Arthur Going. From a family with deep Cornish roots in England to a descendant family of German immigrants. One city (Cincinnati) until I was 18, and then a succession of places, including ten moves in ministry. Let's just say it has not been a Wendell Berry life! But one day my wife said to me, when I was lamenting what all the moves had meant, "Home is where you are." Add to that our deeper conviction that we are called to abide--to make our home--in Jesus and the perspective changes. And then to live, wherever we are, with a longing for the heavenly City... did I say complicated at the beginning? How about rich and wondrous?
I just said something like this in a comment--home is where Jesus is and Jesus is Emmanuel. So when we abide in Him we are always home. And also, every moment until He comes again, we're away. Rich and wondrous. Layered like sediment. Or a cake. :)
I think spending concentrated time considering what heaven will be like helps to cultivate a longing for home. Considering what it will be like, who will be there, what will not be there, etc. And making those things personal - not just that there won’t be sickness but that your specific family member will be made whole and how that feels. Additionally, I think the more you experience life on this earth the more thankful you are that this world is not our home.
Yes! Big fan of imaginative meditation on Heaven. What might it be like? Brainstorming with God is fun (and a rope to hold onto).
Yes, practicing for the best home is my task here. I loved the story told to your children as well.
I cannot quite fathom someone not setting their heart on heaven. It is certainly easier for me to do now as I age. I have a pre- paid funeral plan! I know I will be leaving here one day and I want to live for Jesus. That is the best preparation.
I did have an opportunity to share that love for God with a wayward family member. I think what I said that mattered to him was the love that I and God have for him. He needed to know that above all.
Beautiful! So glad you got to share.
Holding our citizenship in heaven in tension with our assignment to bring the kingdom of God to earth is tricky. I totally understand where you are coming from Bethany. Where I am from (Northern Ireland) we have a rich tradition of fundamentalist! Which means a lot of people were raised with the idea that all they needed was an entry ticket to heaven and then they were all set. Now heaven is guaranteed we can just get on with being completely bigoted to out neighbours!
What i want to focus on is living with hope for the future redemption of the earth but also firmly grounded in the reality that we are placed where we are for a purpose. Not just to wait for our time to be up to get taken away but to live like this place is heaven on earth.
This isn’t about the prompt but everything to do with faith and heaven. My best friend is losing a dear friend of hers, the one who introduced her to Christ. She is only 45 and is suffering from aggressive lung cancer that has now spread to her brain. She has to have surgery tomorrow and they aren’t sure she will make it through. To complicate matters, she has a young daughter with Down syndrome. She is the main advocate and caretaker for this sweet girl. Would you all mind to pray for Amber? We know God can work miracles and he can also work miracles in the lives of others through heartache and loss. This is a trial of epic proportions for some and a faith maker or breaker. Prayers that God is ultimately glorified in this and that everyone who loves her feels his peace would be greatly appreciated.
Jen, how did the surgery go?
She won’t be able to have the surgery because she has declined too much. They don’t think she will make it through the day. But it sounds like she is comfortable and just sleeping. She’s at peace.
I am so sorry for your pain and loss, and I hope and pray that God’s goodness and grace will be seen through this difficult time.🙏❤️
"It will feel silly sometimes, like you’re pretending. But you’re not. You’re practicing."
I'm loving that.
And what came before is similar to the Jeremiah passage - it's the temporary putting down roots, which brings good things and gives us the people to love and practice with and give a cup of cold water to.
Thinking of the Atomic Habits guy - when we decide we want to be someone who fits into our coming REAL home, we will be thinking of things to do, ways to act that take us toward being that person.
Also...in Colossians 3, from NLT: 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. "real life"
I have a lot of fears wrapped up in the concept of eternity, so sometimes I can actively push away thoughts of heaven.
I was in a car accident when I was twelve that resulted in the death of my cousin, who was one of my closest friends. And ever since, i find myself not feeling comforted by heaven? I don’t know where my wires got crossed here.
I think one small practical thing I can do is ask God to help me not be afraid to think about it, to heal the hesitation I feel, and to open my heart to the citizenship he desires for me.
I think first she should admit to God in prayer and share with her circle of accountability. Ask God in prayer to cultivate this desire in her and then practically seek ways to fan the flame that God will light. We cultivate a sense of home by engaging with its builder and citizens.
Hoo boy. This brings up a lot of tension in me, to be honest. Probably because most people who modeled this to me in my formative years weren’t happy or full of joy - they were so fixated on getting out of Dodge and through the pearly gates that the days they spent here on Earth were bitter, resentful, and angry. I worry that identifying too much with my citizenship in heaven will only make me more like them, more restless and dissatisfied here on earth…and more coldly dismissive of the pain and suffering people share with me. I don’t want to respond the way I’ve been responded to, that I just shouldn’t worry about my grief or my sorrow because heaven’s coming, after all. This also gets complicated as someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts from time to time. It seems counter-intuitive to satiate my appetite for heaven, but then have to submit myself to life on earth.
Crazy? (Likely.) I’d welcome a shift in perspective on this.
All of this makes sense, and I don't have easy answers. Things I know:
-Becoming more fully a citizen of Heaven makes me a better citizen here.
-Thinking about Heaven opens my eyes to injustice here and reminds me injustice isn't an eternal thing and should be overthrown.
-Thinking about Heaven opens my eyes to Heaven-things all around me and makes more room for joy.
-Thinking about Heaven puts a timer on the game so I act with intention here.
-Thinking about Heaven lightens the load here. It's still a load and still ought to be carried. But it's not so heavy.
((I've been planning this trip I'm on to meet up with London for like four months now. The coming trip and anticipation didn't cause me to waste the four months I waited or even to disengage. The anticipation of seeing her made the wait easier AND it made me more productive because I knew I needed to get things done so I could take time to see her. Maybe it's something like that.))
I go down this road too sometimes. Something that shifts my perspective is reframing “I’m not from here this isn’t really my home” to “I am a guest here”. What kind of guest do I want to be? What kind of guest do I love to have? I love when guests jump in to my daily life, hang with my kids, meet my neighbors, help with dinner. I don’t love when a guest comes and talks about how they could never live here, this town is weird, their home is better than mine (even if all of that is true).
This is such a helpful reframe, thank you for sharing it Carly!
I am behind, too, but today was so good for me! Jennifer, thank you for sharing the beautiful story you told your girls. Sometimes I have so many regrets of not being a better mother in the spiritual sense. When my children were little I was struggling with doing enough, being good enough, following all the rules!!! Honestly, I still struggle with that, but I have learned so much about grace that I didn’t know about when I was younger. That makes me sad, when I think about how I could have been a better mother in the spiritual sense. I am old enough to be your mother, Jennifer, and yet you have and continue to teach me so much!
(Full disclosure here - I am behind. But for a good reason 😉. Cason, my son, came home for a couple of days and we had our Christmas and he and I (😏) spent almost 2 days in the shop as he replaced the brakes on the other back wheel. (“We” did the other side before Christmas). This is precious time for me, plus for safety reasons - with the vehicle up on jacks, I don’t leave him alone. ❤️
My husband and his siblings were “third culture kids”, children of missionaries, some born here in the US and some born in the mission field in a foreign country. They have all struggled with the idea of “home”, where did I come from and where do I belong? They all have settled that by choosing a home. Whether it was Mexico, where they were born, or where they went to high school, “home” was different for all of them. To them, it meant “where do I come from, what is my history?” Where they are all going, though, is not hard to define. So, I guess maybe where we wander and call home can vary and change, as long as our idea of where we want to be the final place of belonging is heaven.
To me, home feels like home because it is comfortable - good food, laughter, deep connection and honest conversation in a familiar environment. When Heaven doesn't feel like home, I need to spend more time getting to know the people who live there.
And as JL so wisely pointed out to me yesterday, "We know Jesus. We know the Father. We dwell with the Spirit. And they are what Heaven will be like."
I loved the story you shared with your girls about heaven. Most of my life, my thoughts of heaven were more geared toward who I would see (loved ones). In the last couple of years, I’ve tried to shift that focus more towards God. He’s who I want to see and want to worship. He is worthy of all my praise.
I love the prayers in these studies. This study has been very introspective for me.
I’ve been trying to process this - the best I can come up with right now is where I feel comfort or rest. I’ve lived in a variety of places and have called many places home, even to the point where “coming back home” is disorienting and no longer home.
I think the Spirit has been helping me realize that I’ve been finding my comfort in good things like a small group at church, BUT also allowing disruption there because, while it is similar to New Home (playing off of New Creation), it ISN’T fully that yet (not at all trying to downplay the need for spiritual community either!). I’ve been recognizing that my comfort can only be realized in Yahweh alone and will only be fully realized when all things are made new. The whole “now and not yet” thing I guess.