Longing for Home

I've been experiencing more and more the desire to be living closer to our families. Our much loved parents/grandparents are both 8 hours away, my sister and her husband (as well as my nieces and nephew) are also 8 hours away, my youngest brother is 6 1/2 hours away, and my other brother has been living abroad for the last 3 years. Ken's only brother is 8 hours away as well. Ken and I only see our grandparents about once a year, which truly breaks my heart.

This is not what I thought our lives would look like. I always thought that my children would grow up alongside of cousins, aunts and uncles, great-grandparents and grandparents.

I was listening to a sermon not long ago about the deepest longings of our hearts. God did not intend for us to be separated from the people we love. He created us for unbroken fellowship, not just with Him, but also with each other. Our deepest longing is "to have love last", to be with the people we love forever. But, in this broken and fallen world, that is not our reality. Death occurs slowly. We are separated by sin, misunderstandings, grudges, distance (both emotionally and physically), and eventually by time and space when our loved ones pass away.

Our culture is one of constant change. People don't grow up and settle in the same towns anymore. Our loved ones live far away. Our siblings take jobs in far away places. Our best friends move to Africa. Children grow up and leave. We watch our parents age. Time moves quickly.

That's why even the best love, that of spouses and family and the dearest of friends, can not truly satisfy the deepest longings of our souls. There is only one Love that will never fail, never be separated from us, never leave us or forsake us, even in death. He calls Himself "our Eternal Dwelling Place". God longs to be our Home, our Family, our Parent, our Spouse, our closest Friend, our forever King. And our deepest longings can only be met in Him. Our hearts are safe in this Eternal Home.

He is a good and kind Father. He sent His son to turn back the clock, to undo death itself. He is recreating, reviving and renewing. It's taking a long time (to us), but one day we will know the joy of being in unbroken, forever fellowship with Him and also with the people we love, the people we have lost.

Until then, we long for, we wait for, we hope for this day. And we drive a lot. We talk on the phone a lot. We go on vacations together. We make the effort to be involved in our loved ones lives, because in the end, life is all about the relationships. Our relationship with God and our relationships with each other. They are what sanctify us. They are the means in which we share Christ with each other. They are what set up apart in a world that hungers for things that can never truly satisfy the soul. People are the treasures that we store up in Heaven.

I for one, echo the longings of John in the end of Revelation. "Come, King Jesus, come quickly!". We're ready.

Swimmin' Fools

One thing we have loved about living here is our indoor community pool! It is really nice to get to swim in a heated pool when it is still freezing outside. The kids took swimming lesson for 8 weeks. Last week was their final week. Hannah loves to swim and did really well. She is so fun to watch--completely fearless when she is in the water. This is not the norm for the other realms in her life, so it is a special joy to watch her take chances and venture out (all under the watchful eye of her instructors!). I look forward to seeing her grow and develop in her swimming skills over the summer!

Harry has decided that he is afraid of the "deep" water (which comes up to his chin). So, he decided half way through the classes that he just wasn't going to try to swim too much. He would rather just hang onto the swim instructor and kick his legs occasionally. However, he did persevere and complete all eight classes, and we are proud of him. I'll be honest, it was nice to see him have a somewhat healthy fear of SOMETHING. He's our risk taker, so I don't mind that he wants to be extra careful in the water. He's already enrolled for more lessons this summer, so hopefully he'll grow in his confidence as he learns new skills.

On a side note, Harry's favorite part of swim lessons was waiting for them to start. That was his opportunity to dance along with the old ladies in the water aerobics class. He's one of a kind!