"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ..." - Philippians 3:20
A while ago, I had a meaningful conversation with a good friend of mine. I also read a moving post by David Asscherick on the Lightbearers blog (which I highly recommend you read—go ahead, click on it).
Both left me with an increasingly familiar feeling:
Heartache.
But this is not the kind of heartache you might think. This is not missing my friends or wishing I was in previous places, enjoying previous times. This is not homesickness.
Yet...
it is.
We were talking about how awesome it would be if Jesus came back before the fall:
We know that He is coming soon to take us home, for this world—with its disappointments, sorrows, tragedies, strife, sickness, death—is not our home. It just can't be.
We know so bad it hurts. Our hearts ache for home.
The world thinks we're crazy.
Somehow, we have to tell them. We must show them what a beautiful paradox it is, this heartache. We must show them that there is more...
Beyond this dark world...
Beyond the farthest stars...
In our deepest heart...
Our aching heart.
Until their heart aches like mine and yours.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Both left me with an increasingly familiar feeling:
Heartache.
But this is not the kind of heartache you might think. This is not missing my friends or wishing I was in previous places, enjoying previous times. This is not homesickness.
Yet...
it is.
We were talking about how awesome it would be if Jesus came back before the fall:
"Even if Jesus doesn't come in the fall, Val, He is coming soon. And probably sooner than we think."Oh, the longing.
"I know. I know so bad it hurts."
The heartache.
Anything God-centered is usually a paradox. A beautiful paradox that makes no sense to the world. Take the cross, for example: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). Or the spiritual battles faced by every Christian—you've heard the saying: "You stand tallest when you're on your knees."
We overcome by obedience, we climb higher through humility. We forgive them that persecute us, and pray for them that spitefully use us. We turn the other cheek. We go two miles instead of one.
We love freely, we sacrifice more. Yet it does not deplete our joy, and we never lack.
We know that God died—just think of that!—for us.
We know that we are children of God.
Anything God-centered is usually a paradox. A beautiful paradox that makes no sense to the world. Take the cross, for example: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). Or the spiritual battles faced by every Christian—you've heard the saying: "You stand tallest when you're on your knees."
We overcome by obedience, we climb higher through humility. We forgive them that persecute us, and pray for them that spitefully use us. We turn the other cheek. We go two miles instead of one.
We love freely, we sacrifice more. Yet it does not deplete our joy, and we never lack.
We know that God died—just think of that!—for us.
We know that we are children of God.
We know that He is coming soon to take us home, for this world—with its disappointments, sorrows, tragedies, strife, sickness, death—is not our home. It just can't be.
We know so bad it hurts. Our hearts ache for home.
The world thinks we're crazy.
Somehow, we have to tell them. We must show them what a beautiful paradox it is, this heartache. We must show them that there is more...
Beyond this dark world...
Beyond the farthest stars...
In our deepest heart...
Our aching heart.
Until their heart aches like mine and yours.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
This is not the end here at this grave
This is just a hole that someone made
Every hole was made to fill
And every heart can feel it still--
Our nature hates a vacuum
This is not the hardest part of all
This is just the seed that has to fall
All our lives we till the ground
Until we lay our sorrows down
And watch the sky for rain
There is more
More than all this pain
More than all the falling down
And the getting up again
There is more
More than we can see
From our tiny vantage point
In this vast eternity
There is more
A thing resounds when it rings true
Ringing all the bells inside of you
Like a golden sky on a summer eve
Your heart is tugging at your sleeve
And you cannot say why
There must be more
There is more
More than we can stand
Standing in the glory
Of a love that never ends
There is more
More than we can guess
More and more, forever more
And not a second less
There is more than what the naked eye can see
Clothing all our days with mystery
Watching over everything
Wilder than our wildest dreams
Could ever dream to be
There is more
~ Andrew Peterson
