Mike’s Musings ….
Making a Trip “Home”
If the Lord wills, when you read this musing, Nancy and I will have safely arrived at “home.” We call southeastern Ohio “home” because that’s where we were born and raised: Stockport and Marietta. We still have some family in that area and countless memories. But the truth of the matter is many of the things we once treasured as “home” are gone. Her parents and mine are all buried in Morgan C0unty, OH, and I have a sister buried in Devola near Marietta, OH. Her only sister still lives in Morgan County, but my family in that area consists of a brother-in-law, a nephew, and his wife with my great-nephew and a niece. Sure, we’ve many brethren and friends in the area, and we intend to worship with several of them. Still, many of the things we once treasured are gone.
Many of you know my love for my parents’ hometown of Pennsville. While I tell people I was educated in Marietta, I grew up in Pennsville. I guess you’d have to have lived my childhood and early adulthood as I did to completely understand that statement. The fact is many of my most treasured memories are of that town and township. But Grandmother Davis’s house is gone, Grandpa VanFossen’s barn is gone, and Grandma VanFossen’s place is altogether different: there just isn’t much left of “home” in that regard. In Marietta, the three residences I called “home” have all changed so much that only the addresses are recognizable. The schools I attended are different now, and so frankly, what classmates still live in Marietta – well, they’ve gotten old and gray!
The older I get the more I appreciate the adage, “Home is where the heart is.” My heart really isn’t in Morgan or Washington County, OH. And to be honest, isn’t in Lawrence or Orange County, IN. No, I’ve put my heart into the kingdom of God, the church of Christ, God’s house! Nothing brings me greater joy, contains greater memories, or promises greater gain than having my heart, soul, mind, body, and strength firmly affixed to Christ Jesus and His church, with the promise of eternal life awaiting me if I remain faithful unto death.
Yes, I muse on the memories of my youth and appreciate the opportunity to revisit the area wherein they were made. But nothing compares to the glory God has prepared for them who love Him and continue in His service throughout their lives. That “homegoing” is more precious than any family reunion of the flesh, and more lasting than any home we’ll ever enjoy on earth. That dear reader, is worth the musing and the obedience required to obtain; for it is where God, Christ Jesus, the Spirit, and the redeemed shall dwell eternally! That’s the trip home I am most willing to make!