These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Heb. 11:13-16)
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same. (C. S. Lewis – Mere Christianity)
Independence Day has passed, and we have reflected on the blessings of living in this country. Many have made tremendous sacrifices so that we might be happy and free. There is no question that we stand on the shoulders of giants and have numerous opportunities now thanks to those who came before us.
However, in recent days it has been made crystal clear that this world is not our home. This place, in this condition, is not where we want to be forever. This is not how we want to continue to exist. We long for a better country. We long for the place that God has prepared. We long for the presence of God.
Let us not lose sight of this fact. Let us focus on what matters. Let us press on to the eternal country and help others do the same.
