Home. What is home? Some may say that it is the literal place in which you live. Others may reference the ever-popular quote, “Home is where the heart is”. Some may say that home is the place where you grew up or where you became the person you are today. All of these definitions of home refer to an earthly home. A place that we can locate on a map. I, on the other hand, have thought of home in another way.

            Yes, I do agree that we can find a home here on earth. A place we feel happy, safe, wanted and loved.  However, there is a place much better. A place that I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like. Our true home. Heaven.

“But as it is written: No eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9

            Everyone has heard of Heaven. They have tried to imagine what their version of heaven would be like. However, there is only one version. God’s version. It is something that our limited minds cannot even begin to imagine because it is perfect. Here on earth, we do not know what perfect is because our world is flawed. Even so, there exists a place beyond our wildest dreams where our Lord Jesus Christ reigns over all. A place that He Himself is preparing for us.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” – John 14:2

            Heaven will be a place of true joy. Here on earth, we can experience happiness and joy, but we also experience sadness, pain, and suffering. They exist in this world because of sin. In Heaven, all of that (sadness, pain, and suffering) will all be gone.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4

            A while back, I remember talking to my family about my nightmares. For those of you who do not remember, for the longest time I had been haunted by nightmares about terrorism. These nightmares always ended with me either being caught by people who wanted to do me harm or by being killed. Anyways, that night, as I was explaining how my nightmares always seemed to be about the same thing, I came to realize that there was another thing those dreams had in common. In every single one of my nightmares, I was always trying to get home. I used to think that I was trying to get to my literal home. However, it like that night it hit me. I came to realize that night that I was trying to get back to Jesus.

You see for the longest time I had been asleep spiritually. I knew of God and I would seek Him when it suited me, but I didn’t really know Him. God was trying to call me back to Him, but I kept running away because of my fear of “losing control”. The farther I got from Him, the more these nightmares haunted me. It wasn’t until February of this year that I came to see how much I really needed God. How this whole time, all I really wanted was to be near to Him.

“Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple.” – Psalm 65:4

Heaven is a real place. It is where we belong. We live here on earth, but we do not belong here. When God created the earth, He created a paradise that was later tainted by sin. It is because of that sin that we live in the world we see today. However, out of love, Jesus is preparing a new paradise for us. A place where we can truly call home.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” – Philippians 3:20