My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? (John 14:2).

When I am getting to know someone, I frequently ask, “Where are you from” or “Where is Home?” And increasingly, the answer is from some place outside of Middle Tennessee. It seems like everyone is on the move. Globally that is also the case—displacements because of war, disaster, economic or political problems. Immigration is a huge issue not only for the United States but for many countries around the world. If I were a betting person, I would be willing to bet that at any given time, Nashville Rescue Mission has more nationalities and ethnicities represented on our campus than in most places around the area.

Historically, migrations have shaped and reshaped the countries of the world. Even in the Bible, God’s people moved from the Garden of Eden to Ur to Canaan, to Egypt, back to Canaan (the Promised Land), exiled to Babylon, returned to Israel, then dispersed because of persecution all over the known world as we see in Acts.is

In the Old Testament, God promised the people land of their own. This Promised Land was a sign of his blessings, and showed the world that He was their God and they were his people. But ultimately, they lost their land because of their sin. Many years later, Peter writes to the persecuted Christians:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1L3-9).

While interesting, the question about where we are from is not nearly as important as where we are going. As believers, we are defined more by our destination than our origin or even our current location. In fact, everyone in the world is destined for one of two locations—Heaven or Hell. And that destination will do more to predict our satisfaction with our current “comings and goings” than our current living situation.

What do I mean by that? As believers destined for Heaven and Eternal Life, we know that our time on earth is temporary, that this world is not our final home, that all of life—the good things and the bad things—will serve to prepare us for eternity. Nonbelievers, on the other hand, probably see this life as all there is, which makes worldly things supremely important, and therefore essential to happiness and contentment. The problem is when problems arise, and they surely will. Problems are seen in context. In the context of a heavenly-focused life, problems are seen as temporary, as trials intended for our growth, as opportunities to put our trust in God.In the context of an earthly-focused life, problems take on greater intensity.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:19-21, 33).

In Christ,

Judy