Anticipating Their Return Home
This
past weekend Kim and I moved both Joanna and Nathaniel to their respective
colleges. Friday was spent preparing everything for the two moves. Saturday we
moved Joanna to Lafayette College in Easton, PA to begin her sophomore year. Yesterday, Sunday, we took Nathaniel back to
The College of NJ in Ewing, NJ to begin his junior year. It was only a few weeks ago that we did the
same for our son, Jonathan, whom we moved to Washington D.C. to begin his
graduate work at Catholic University of America. (As you can imagine, we are pretty tired of
packing and unpacking!)
Well,
for the time being Kim and I are alone. The
house is now a bit quieter. There will be much less laundry to do, many less
dishes to wash, and less food to prepare. We won’t have to wonder whose coming
home for dinner and who will not. There
will be no juggling of vehicles and no sound of music pounding from upstairs.
Much less milk will be consumed and there will be no asking, “When will you
clean your room?” I know some parents
like it that way. For me, although there are times when I do find it easier, I
really do miss having my kids around. I end up missing the stream of friends in
and out of the house. I miss the added noise. I miss the bits of commotion that
can take place. Yes, sometimes I like my space, but I’m not always in favor of
the much quieter house.
One
thing having my kids away at school causes me to do is, anticipate the times
when I will communicate with them and the times when we will see each other. I
have already put on my calendar their breaks when they will be coming
home. I am already planning for the
times during the semester and year when either I will be able to get to them or
they will come home. And, I am keeping
in my mind that at least for a few weeks around Christmas and then at the end
of the spring semester, we will once again have our times of commotion and
noise as they return for their winter and summer breaks. I’m already
anticipating their return home!
All
of this makes me wonder what it is like for God, our heavenly Father, as he
waits for us his children to come home to his great big “house” that we call
“heaven.” Before he left, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms…I am
going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I
am.” (John 14:2-3) In other words,
Jesus is preparing a place in God’s house for each of God’s children. One day
we will all head home to be with our heavenly Father forever. I’m sure there will be lots of noise and
maybe even some commotion as we enter our new home. I tend to think that when
we arrive our Father will give each of us a great big, “Welcome home!” In the
meantime, it seems to me, our Father is waiting for us with great
anticipation.
So
today, as I adjust to not having my kids at home and begin to anticipate their
return home later in the year, I am encouraging myself to realize that in much
the same way our heavenly Father is anticipating the day in which you and I,
and all of his children, arrive at his house to be with him forever!
Have
a great day!
Pastor
Tim Harris
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