When I was young, I would sometimes hear older people talk about how they were looking forward to heaven, almost as if they longed for death, even though they were in perfect health. While I understood what they meant on a surface level, I didn’t really get it. Putting my faith in Jesus at a young age, I’ve almost always understood that I was just a sojourner passing through. In fact, when Don and I were married, we had some dear friends sing one of our favorite songs by Steve Green, ‘Find Us Faithful,’ as part of our wedding service. Here’s the first verse, if you are unfamiliar. We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road We both made a commitment to the Lord and to each other to live a life of faithfulness to God and one another. We’ve been determined to be faithful unto death and serve Him wholeheartedly. Our life hasn’t gone as we had planned or hoped in many ways, but as we have lived and served and loved, we have grown closer and closer to each other and to our Savior. We’ve had joy. We’ve had heartache. We’ve had times of ease and times of great difficulty. We’ve had triumphs, and we’ve had failures. One of the important truths we’ve tried to remind ourselves of regularly is that we have dual citizenship. Well, technically, we have triple citizenship! 😊
The word ‘conversation’ there is politeuma, which has the sense of ‘citizenship.’ I’m an American. I feel blessed to have birthright citizenship, but it is temporal. I’m an Australian. I was privileged to be granted Australian citizenship in 2003, but it is also temporal. I’m a Christian. I was granted heavenly citizenship in 1972 when I put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. That citizenship is eternal. When citizenship is granted, it comes with all the rights, responsibilities, and privileges that correspond to that nation or kingdom. Because my true citizenship is in heaven, this world shouldn’t define my identity. It shouldn’t determine my values or dictate my priorities. I have rights, responsibilities, and privileges that reflect that heavenly citizenship and supersede all others. People usually know I am ‘American’ as soon as I start speaking because of my accent. It is instantly identifiable. I want to live and speak in such a way that I am instantly identifiable as a Christian, a citizen of heaven, and a child of the King. Not because I self-identify as such, but because my manner and lifestyle make it obvious. It is important to understand and remember that while our earthly life is not insignificant or meaningless, it is temporary. We have to live in the present, but we are cautioned in the Scriptures not to live for the present.
It can be so very easy to get caught up in the things of the world (both good and bad) and lose focus on where we are ultimately headed as children of God. As I taught the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12 last week, the children and I reflected on the importance of thinking about eternity and laying up treasures in heaven rather than here on earth.
I used the following personal illustration to help the children grasp the concept of living a life that pleases God, knowing that we are going to be in heaven with Him one day. I was excited when an opportunity to go to England arose several years ago. I had never been to Europe but had always longed to go. I never thought it would happen. When the chance came, I was willing to make personal sacrifices to have the financial resources for the trip. While there, I wanted to have money to spend to do and see all the things I had imagined experiencing. I began saving and sacrificing, foregoing purchases, eating out, etc., because I knew it would be worth it later, when I was touring London and Paris. While an imperfect example, this helped the children understand the idea that by living in a way that pleases God now, we are laying up treasures in Heaven. And that every act of obedience to God and kindness towards others with the motive of pleasing our Heavenly Father, results in treasures being stored up in heaven. Don’t we all need the reminder that living here for God’s glory will make our heavenly experience better? Any sacrifice we make now, whether it be denying the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, will be well worth it when we make that journey to heaven. They are investments in eternity and the rewards will be waiting for us when we get there. Shouldn’t our future reality change the way we use our time and resources in the present? The more real our destination becomes to us, the less difficult it is to loosen our grip on the things we can’t take with us anyway. I’m grateful to live in the time and place where God put me on this beautiful earth. I want to enjoy this life and serve faithfully while I’m here. But this isn’t where I belong forever. While I was young and still eager to see and experience all that the Lord had planned for me here on earth, I didn’t personally understand that urgent longing to go to heaven that I mentioned earlier. I can honestly say that I get it now. The older I grow, the more I long for home myself. I’m sure there are many reasons for that increased longing:
Heaven’s been on my mind a lot more in recent years, and I am truly looking forward to my arrival there. Like a long uncomfortable flight across the globe, I don’t relish the process of death itself, but I’m longing for the destination; my home in heaven for all eternity. I’m not saying that I’m anxious to leave today. There are still people I love here (especially my husband), work I believe God has given me to do, and purposes I want to fulfill as long as He gives me breath. I want to live every day of this temporary life fully and faithfully. But at the same time, I’m super excited about my upcoming journey, whenever that time arrives. Keeping my focus on that heavenly destination or ‘living life with eternity in view’ is getting easier and easier. Perhaps that’s exactly as it should be.
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