Home.

As I'm typing this, I'm on my way home from Ohio.  As each mile passes, I'm enjoying the beautiful fall scenery and thanking God for His creation.  But this growing sense of excitement is overcoming me as we get closer and closer to Kentucky.  It's not that I hate Ohio; I've lived here for a good chunk of my life.  I have friends, family, and fond memories in this place.

But Kentucky is my home.  Always has been, always will be.  And although I can enjoy the time I have in Ohio and live life to the fullest in this place as well, it can't beat the feeling of coming home.  So it's understandable that I wear a massive grin every time I see a sign indicating that Kentucky, my home, is just a little further down the road.

As Christians, we understand the beauty of those moments.  While the world around us is thrashing around in confusion, fear, and chaos, we're the ones grinning like idiots in the center of it all.  Why?  Because although, to others, it might seem like economic downturns and natural disasters are a true sign of the end of the world, we know better.  Because, truthfully, we've just seen another sign indicating that our Heavenly home is just a little further down the road.  While we can live life to the fullest while we're here in this foreign land and we can enjoy God's presence and His hand surrounding us, nothing compares to Home.

Now, admittedly, this has always been a difficult concept for me.  Not because I can't imagine Heaven.  Not because I don't want to spend an eternity there.  But I'm just going to be honest: I love life.  I find such joy in just living that it used to confuse me that people would be so willing to give it up in order to attain Heaven.  I would only understand to a certain degree why saints would testify that they couldn't wait for Jesus to come back and bring us all Home.  I'm all for Heaven, but I never wanted to rush the process.  I liked living.  I liked the possibilities and the energy life created.

Eventually, I had to come to a point in my relationship with Christ where Home meant more to me than life.  That doesn't necessarily mean that I want to give up my life or that I'm wanting to rush my stay here on earth.  But my Heavenly Home and the opportunity to spend an eternity with my Savior means so much more to me than anything the best life down here could offer.  Paul had such a desire to be Home that he actually said he was stuck between two things: going Home where he wanted to be or staying here, in this life, for the benefit of those who God wished to reach through him.

Keep your eyes out for the signs leading the way Home and continue living life in the meantime.  Everything serves a purpose and, ultimately, everything points to Home.