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Devotional

Home is...Where?

by KATY BRINK HOME Lack of “home” Identity in Christ
Home is...Where?
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:20

Like many of you I suspect, my family and I attend church in a language other than English. We love our church family, and as our French language abilities have improved, we’ve become more able to participate in worship on a heart level. 


A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to attend a different church in our city. Their service being bilingual, all words were spoken in French and English; we sang some songs in one language and some in the other. At the chorus of one of the songs, the worship leader instructed us to sing in our heart language, and on the screens appeared the words of the refrain in several of the most common languages in the church, English and French obviously among them.  


Because we previously lived in a Spanish-speaking country, seeing Spanish as one of the language options on the screen made feelings of nostalgia well up in my heart. We regularly sang this particular song in Spanish in our previous country. I heard myself singing the chorus in Spanish, not English, feeling drawn to this brief opportunity to worship God in another language that had become near and dear to my heart. And in that moment, I was confronted anew with a reality that many of us experience, the reality of the fluid concept of home. 


But as we dig into the Scriptures and understand more about who we are in Christ, isn’t that exactly the point? That our concept of home must be fluid here on this earth, that perhaps feeling a heart tug at the opportunity to sing in a variety of languages reminds us that our citizenship lies in heaven, a place where people of all nations and tongues will come together in praise of King Jesus. 


Philippians 3:20 affirms that our citizenship is in heaven. Because of the work that our Savior did on the cross, we no longer have the status of foreigner and stranger (how many of us feel like foreigners and strangers on a daily basis?!) but of fellow citizens with God’s people (Ephesians 2:19). May we live full lives on this earth and yet never forget that we truly are citizens of a heavenly country!


Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, I praise you as King over all the nations. Forgive me for forgetting where my true citizenship resides and for living as if this earth is my forever home. Help me to understand how to live and serve you fully on this earth without becoming overly consumed with its treasures. When I feel like a stranger here, remind me of the comforting spiritual truth behind those feelings. In the name of Jesus my Savior, Amen.
Resources
Article: Why Homesickness is Health This article further explores the concept of “home” and how feelings of homesickness or nostalgia point us to the reality that this earth isn’t our true home. Using the Biblical account of Daniel, the author offers an eloquent explanation of the importance of living full lives where God has put us while continuing to wait upon the return of Jesus.
Question for Reflection

When you acutely feel like a foreigner in the country in which you live, are you more likely to despair at those feelings or to use those feelings to point yourself to your heavenly citizenship? If the former reaction better describes you, what encouragements from God’s Word can you draw upon to lead you to the latter reaction?

Comments
Katy Brink
January 20, 2021

My response probably depends on the day. If I’m having a relatively good day, I might let these moments of struggle nudge me to ponder my union with Christ and my heavenly citizenship. But if I’m having a particularly bad day or feeling down about myself or my cross-cultural “performance” in that moment, I’m much more likely to despair at the prospect of “never feeling at home anywhere.” The verses I referenced in the devotion, among many others of course, serve as great encouragement when I need reminding of what is absolutely true.