We have two of the cutest fur babies you’ve ever seen! When I say fur, I mean a lot of it. Two very large, white, Great Pyrenees that absolutely melt your heart. They are smart, have their own built-in timers, and know instinctively when our entrance gate will open so they can dart out of the gate like the Kentucky Derby.
When Teeny and Snowball get to our county road, they head north investigating and inspecting everything along the way. On the days they are really adventurous (that’s usually at least once a week), they head south. If they get to the more heavily trafficked farm to market road, I start freaking out. But whether it’s 5 minutes or 30 minutes, our babies eventually find their way home, waiting patiently at the gate until we open it. They know that home is where the heart is (and the food)!
As I was thinking about them this week, I realized I am a lot like them. Many times over my life I would “roam” away from home to have my own way. During my rebellious years, it took a long time to come back home … but once I did I realized that is where I am loved no matter what.
Longing for home is universal. Whether in 2025 BC or 2025 AD, mankind understands the ache for home. Scripture tells us shepherd turned King David longed for home. Psalm 26:8 says, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house And the place where Your glory dwells.” Throughout David’s life, he longed for, then found home.
We learn from scripture that home with God is what we all seek. God’s glory draws us into a love we could never imagine. God’s glory is perfectly expressed in the Person of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To follow Him is to make the decisive turn towards the home you crave.
We also learn that home with God is fulfillment and contentment. It’s the place we have longed for and the fullness of the pretended places we have tried to call home. Israel in the wilderness had to learn that home was not the place they left or even the Promised Land they were going to. Home is where God is. And that is where we want to be.
We also learn that home with God is redemption that we need. Psalm 26:11 says, “Redeem me and be merciful to me.” The places where David chose to live were inevitable. Religion could offer David no hope. Home is not where we pay to get in. Home is where we are welcomed by the love and acceptance of a God who fulfills what He requires.
Quite often people experience disappointment with God. Either their prayers were not answered like they wanted, or life didn’t turn out the way they had planned. Perhaps sickness or tragedy occurred. Read Psalm 26:8-12 for a message of hope. You don’t have to understand how the universe works to come home to God. Just come the way you are and lay all your burdens at the foot of His cross!
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdinistries@gmail.com. Visit her at the Second Mile blog at https://debbyefurd.com.
