Nostalgia is powerful. It can wash over us in an unguarded moment, taking us by surprise. Oh, if only we could turn the clock back and catch up with people who loved us. If only we could be transported back into the world as we remember it. But here’s the thing. What do you find when you return? People and places change. We have changed. Old friends move on, lose contact, pass away. Your memories clash with reality. Nothing stays the same.
So let’s consider this. Abraham was homesick too. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10).
He looked beyond time and saw his eternal home. We, children of Abraham by faith in Christ, have joined him in looking for that city. Earth will disappoint us, but as the old song reminds us, Jesus never fails. Even now the Holy Spirit gives us a longing for and a foretaste of the glory to come. We are on our way home for good!
