What's happening in Japan is hard to miss and has caused me to think about the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been forever changed. The events that happened in Egypt a few months ago and what's going on in Lybia are another reminder that this world is filled with unrest and it doesn't seem to want to go away. Even with all of man's progression and knowledge, you'd think we'd get a few things figured out. And then of course there's March Madness, which no one can quite figure out, but people will bet on it like crazy! Such an insignificant thing to keep track of in light of world events, really.
In my own soul I find myself longing for a time when all will be right in the world. From the inconsistencies in my own life to world events seen on the news these days, my heart and soul groan for relief! And then I have to wonder. Do natural things speak of the invisible? Natural events like earthquakes, tsunamis. Is this the earth groaning too in wait for a redeemer?
This morning I woke at 4 am thinking about way too much. And as I pulled out Max Lucado's Devotional Bible, I read this devotion on Heaven. I'll be chewing on this today.
"The only ultimate disaster that can befall us, I have come to realize, is to feel ourselves to be home on earth. As long as we are aliens, we cannot forget our true homeland. Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land....
We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are "foreigners and strangers in this world. (1 Peter 2:11) Take a fish and place him on the beach. Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Playfish magazine and martini? Do you wardrobe him in double-breasted fins and people skinned shoes? Of course not. Then how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach simply because he was not made for the beach. And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for this earth. Oh, you will have moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace, but they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead."
No one can quite paint a picture like Mr. Max. Thanks for that excerpt. Tis so true, we are not happy because we are not yet in our real home.
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