What does home convey to you? Maybe you don’t feel at home in this world. Adverse circumstances, unexpected life events and health challenges can make us feel unsettled, especially when we hit midlife and beyond and survey the landscape of our lives with a wistful, jaundiced eye.

We’re still in our first home together after 40+ years of marriage. Although we might have missed opportunities along the way or played it too safe, we haven’t moved on due to circumstances beyond our control and long seasons of both being unemployed.

As I view the cramped and cluttered place where we somehow built a home, raised our sons and fought internal battles while I sought to overcome a painful past, I feel sad not to have realised my housing hopes and dreams.

There’s an ache within. I have a yearning for a home such as I have not experienced yet. Then I remember what makes a house a home is a soul connection with the people we share life with and love, our family and friends.

We’re in a mess because we’re both living with debilitating chronic illness, coupled with owning too much stuff to easily sort and sift, and sentimentality keeping us chained to the majority of it. Maybe you can relate?

As I sat with these conflicting feelings, God drew my attention to the inescapable fact that I am rooted in Christ by faith, with all the riches of God’s goodness and grace at my disposal. I actually lack no good thing and I should be more thankful for what I already possess.

I have all I need. I am wonderfully blessed to have a home of my own, a dry roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, plenty of food to eat and money enough to keep me well supplied with clothes and books.

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:6 NIV

We abide with Jesus in heavenly places, while rooted here to earth.  We can rest our anxious hearts in God’s still waters of calm and peace anytime we want to. He gently encourages us to lie down in His green pastures of plenty and all-sufficiency whenever our souls get strained and stressed.

God graciously makes His home in human hearts when we put our faith in Christ. And the eternal Home we have with Him is a place that will more than satisfy our souls with lasting contentment and joy.

This eternal Home is lavishly and freely given to all who trust in Christ. We are adopted into the family of God by faith and lack no good thing by His grace.

“His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!” – Ephesians 1:5 TLB

Although we might suffer tremendously here, we are reassured that in all things God is working for our good, including the bad stuff we’d rather not go through. Everything serves a purpose of drawing us closer to God in greater dependence, as we seek His face and His strength to sustain us.

Our final destination is to spend eternity in God’s presence, to be fully welcomed into heaven and invited to the place He has chosen for our Forever Home. Knowing these things helps take the sting out of today’s troubles and gives us lasting hope in the here and now.

“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” – John 14:23 NIV