Spring break is upon us and I cannot believe how quickly this semester has arrived at the halfway mark. I am spending my spring break in one of my favorite places ever...
St. Louis. I could list many reasons why I love the good ole STL, but the reason that it holds such a special place in my heart is because it's
home.
The notion of
home often
captures my attention. How does a place become home? What constitutes a home? How do we even know what a home should look like? Is being home defined by a place, feeling, people, etc? These are a few of the myriad of questions that
my mind asks my heart.
I do not know definite answers to any of these questions, but after
much reflection I have attempted to make some sense of the thoughts that by God's grace have crossed my mind (or the minds of incredible people and I stumbled upon them).
I have been thinking about this topic for a long time so I apologize for the lack of conciseness in the following.
"I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world" -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
We have an innate
yearning entangled into the fabric of our being that points us to the fact that we are not made for this world. This goes back to the beginning of creation as we are told in Genesis. Made in God's image and likeness as His children our home was the Garden of Eden. But as we all know the Fall came upon us and displaced us from our home. God did not intend evil to enter the world, but through the gift of free will it did. Theistic philosophical arguments tell us that God, all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing, would not have willed this but due to the confines He set before Himself (i.e. the gift of free will) it is inevitable reality for us to face.
Fast forward to
Jesus Christ, the
Incarnate Word, the
Word become Flesh, and there is hope for us all! Through His Death and Resurrection we have been given the opportunity to once again return to our
true home for the rest of eternity. Whoa, I am just going to let that sink in.
"Home is where one starts from" -T.S. Eliot, East Coker
God formed each of us in the inmost of our mother's womb. He has known us to our core before we even came into being. We come from our Creator just as we describe our hometown as the place we come from. They are different realms of
home, but the same concept nonetheless.
I find an incomparable sense comfort in the places that I have called home here on Earth and I think this is because they naturally seek to recreate what our hearts long for. My homes have been made of unconditional love given and received, unquestioning forgiveness, constant familiarity, fulfilling conversation, and genuine concern. I am the most myself and most accepted for who I am when I am at home. These things overflow my cup with joy and they are
merely glimpses of what eternal life with the Jesus will look like. These are the things seen brightened by the light without witnessing the sun in all its
magnificence.
"If you want to get warm, you move near the fire. If you want joy, peace, eternal life, you must get close to what has them." -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
It is only logical that we replicate this most desired comfort of home in life lived for God. I am constantly inspired by the family and friends that make up my home. By their commitment to the faith they reflect the home we were designed to inhabit. I am encouraged to live a life that participates and promotes that of Heaven, an eternal union with the Trinity because of their example and because I am inclined to believe...
"The world's thy ship and not thy home." -St. Therese of Lisieux
And that...
"Life's a voyage that's homeward bound." -Herman Melville
This world is not our final destination but rather a means to learn how to participate in our true home. In one of my very favorite books, there is a description of characters as they experience and begin the ascent to Heaven. It cannot truly be grasped in all its
fullness and beauty without reading the entire book, but this is pretty good summation.
"I have come home at last! This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it until now." C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle
So...here's to finding blissful comfort at home and knowing God has something even better in store.
cheers.
Allison
