"What might it not mean for others if all of us who are seeking after a country of our own, a better Country, that is, a heavenly, lived more like pilgrims here?" ~Gold Cord: The Story of a Fellowship by Amy Carmichael
Have you ever traveled to a foreign country? Have you spent any length of time there? If you have, you will understand what I'm about to write.
No matter how much time you spend in a foreign country, no matter how familiar you become with their food, their mindset, their language, or their sayings, it is always quite obvious that you do not belong. You look different. You have a different worldview. Your values, the things that are important to you, the way you see life are all different. You are from a different culture, and theirs will always be foreign to you. Theirs is not your heritage. You may come close to feeling like you fit in. You may even begin to identify with their culture; in fact, you may begin to feel like you're trapped somewhere in between their culture and your own. But their culture is still not completely your own.
What if we as Christians really lived as if this world were not our home? What if we were so wrapped up in our heavenly home culture, so identified by it that it would become quite obvious to anyone we would meet on Earth that we do not belong here in this worldly culture-- that it is not our own? What would life look like if this Earthly culture were always foreign to us? What kind of difference could we make in this world if we lived more like pilgrims here and less like natives?
2 comments:
Good point.
However, the difference is that we have been raised here. Rather than being raised in one country and uprooting to go to another, I think it's more like . . . a missionary family experience. A child is born and raised in the only culture he/she knows. Although it is foreign to his/her parents, he/she is viewed as different by all the natives, even though this is the only home he/she knows. But then the child is taken on furlough to the home his/her parents knew, and suddenly, all the values that he/she has been raised learning make sense and become real.
I think we feel at home here because this is all we really know until we truly accept God into our hearts and surrender our lives to Him. And when that happens, we are viewed very differently--almost as foreigners in our own homelands.
It kind of reminds me of Jesus' whole situation. Those living in Nazareth who had watched Him grow up couldn't get past the physical realness and normality of His life. But as they saw how much He defied the norm, they became uncomfortable with Him. He came to be seen as a foreigner/stranger in His own country because His home was heaven, and He served God.
Jesus never sinned, but for us, a transformation of heart is necessary. Then the world is no longer our home because we have accepted the adoption of God.
Sorry this is so long . . . I just go into it. :)
That may be because we are all unique. While we are all a like, we are all still very different. It is an interesting dichotomy. It what's make each person special.
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